Monday, December 10, 2007

When does high HDI mean you can get gold medal?

This Suryopratomo's opinion (that sounds more like a sermon, by the way) in Kompas today is special in two counts. First, it's a headline. Second, it's a logical error.

He argues (or at least strongly implies) that one should not be surprised that Indonesia is lousy in the SEA Games because Indonesia's HDI (Human Development Index) is low compared to the other countries participating in the game.

Ah. If I remember correctly HDI is constructed using 1) GDP per capita, 2) life expectancy rate, and 3) education measure (literacy rate and enrollment rate). I don't recall anything like "the number of gold medals" in the index.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

seriously, that guy need to take econ 101. he said that we should stop consuming? ehem...

Anonymous said...

Daeng Aco dan Dhani, mungkin yang dia maksud dampak dari HDI yang rendah pada prestasi olahraga. GDP/capita yang rendah paling tidak menggambarkan secara kasar miskinnya kita sehingga boro2 mikir prestasi, lha buat perut saja masih puyeng. Latihan kurang duit. Masalah konsumtif, mungkin maksudnya dia bukan stop consuming, tapi memang realitas bangsa ini yang umumnya biar duit cekak pengen sohor, sampai NOKIA saja launching di Indonesia. Padahal di negerinya si Kevin Ruud, masih banyak bule yang pake HP yang bisa buat nimpuk kucing karena si bule lebih melihat kepada fungsi bukan kepada model-model baru. Nah, mungkin Daeng Aco bisa kasih ulasan ala Chicago School mengenai menurunnya prestasi olahraga kita dari perspektif ekonomi. Lalu, juga dilihat waktu zamannya Pak Harto, Indonesia nggak ada lawannya di SEA GAMES karena juara umum mulu, nah kenapa sekarang malah makin jelek? Mungkin Daeng Aco punya penjelasan yang menarik. Oh ya...gimana tanggapan atas Sukardi Rinakit yang baru di Kompas hari ini?

Anonymous said...

So Daeng Aco, you do not reply if the comment is not in English? Daeng Aco, we need your enlightment via KOMPAS. We are in dire needs for your economic analysis in KOMPAS.

Aco said...

Anonymous, sorry for late reply. I do reply but sometimes with lag 'cause I don't always have the time.

Terima kasih atas penjelasan untuk tulisannya Suryopratomo. Saya hanya merasa kok dipaksakan banget mau menjelaskan ttg prestasi jelek Indonesia di SEA Games dan keinginan untuk selalu berceramah populis. Hasilnya ya kayak gitu. Tulisan utama lagi. Kasihan juga Kompas.

I'll think about the economics of sport -- good idea.

Thanks!

Aco said...

Oh, by the way, Anonymous, you asked if I have a take on the latest "analysis" of Sukardi Rinakit? Really, I need help to understand what he says. "Mesu budi"? "Askatisme"? What the heck are those? You know, this is in rhetoric class we call a variant of "argumentum ad nauseaum": I'll make you suffer with strange sophisticated words so you end up agreeing with anything I say. Or maybe he was just trying to meet some deadline, I don't know. But if I were an editor, I would replace that with an advertisement(or better yet: cool pictures by Arbain Rambey) Or maybe that's Kompas new policy? All sermons? Because whenever I read its so-called "analysis" (and even Politika) they all sound like a preaching. Might as well title them "siraman rohani", I guess. At least it's not misleading.

Anonymous said...

You damn right, Aco.

Anonymous said...

saudara anon,

sori terlambat sadar kalo ada komen yang ditujukan ke saya. masalahnya saya percaya bahwa masyarakat dan NOKIA itu tidak bodoh. Kalau Nokia sampai buat acara pelepasan perdana suatu produk di Indonesia berarti mereka memang berpikir bahwa masyarakat indonesia adalah pangsa yang sangat potensial.
dan saya juga percaya bahwa masyarakat bisa memilah mana prioritas pengeluarannya.

masalah prestasi negara mungkin bukan cuma masalah dana belaka tapi juga manajemen pelatih, pembina dan atlet. saya kurang paham. yang mau saya sampaikan adalah orang sebaiknya hati-hati kalau menggunakan jargon-jargon.