Bekasi people marginalized<\/p>\n
From Merdeka<\/p>\n
Criminality is rife in the town of Bekasi 30 kilometers east
\nof Jakarta. It was in Bekasi that two robberies, in the same
\nhouse, by the same gang, took place within a few months. The gang
\nleader also raped the owner's wife on both occasions. In another
\nburglary, a whole family was murdered.<\/p>\n
Bekasi is representative of a typical developing town. It was
\nonce a place where a struggle was waged against the colonialist
\noppressors as described by the poet Chairil Anwar in his poem
\nBetween Karawang and Bekasi. Nowadays, speaking of Bekasi, people
\nonly think of two things: one, an industrial estate and two,
\ncriminality.<\/p>\n
The formerly agrarian community suddenly faces a large-scale
\nurban lifestyle. Those who possessed expansive lands received
\ncompensation and were compelled to leave the land of their birth.
\nIn fact, they did not only leave their land but also their
\nculture and social environment.<\/p>\n
Families that have found a place outside Bekasi may no longer
\nhave any problems. But for those who have moved only to the
\ntown's periphery, things look different. As an agrarian
\ncommunity, they lived in an ambience of mutual help. Now they
\nface an industrial community whose philosophy is based on profit
\nand loss.<\/p>\n
The Bekasi inhabitants who have sold their land for industrial
\nor housing projects may be \"rich\" - they own a personal
\nautomobile and another motor vehicle leased for public
\ntransportation; they have slightly better houses; they have gold
\nnecklaces and bracelets.<\/p>\n
Wealth that is not well managed will soon get depleted. The
\ncar, the house and other riches will vanish in enabling the
\nowners to keep up with the lifestyle of the industrial community.
\nThey will be transformed into a marginal community living on the
\nperiphery of Bekasi. They will now become mere spectators.<\/p>\n
Continuous pressure and the lure of luxury gives them two
\nalternatives: find employment in a factory and become coolies or
\ncommit crimes against the people who live on their land.<\/p>\n
Bekasi is only one of the many \"mistakes in evaluation\" in
\ndeveloping a town. It is ironic that the millions of dollars from
\nthe export of products manufactured in the industrial estate on
\nthe land of the rural people, must be got by the uprooting of the
\npeople's culture. They are now in a state of cultural perplexity.
\nThey are no longer rural people, neither are they urban people.<\/p>\n
AGUS HUSNI<\/p>\n
Depok, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bekasi-people-marginalized-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }