City authorities fail to address poverty issue<\/p>\n
Benget Simbolon Tnb., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The year 2002 has ended. But as in previous years, there have
\nbeen no encouraging moves on the part of the city administration
\nto tackle the problem of poverty.<\/p>\n
Almost all news stories that emerged on the administration's
\npoverty policies were concerned with negative measures that hurt
\npoor people. Evictions of squatters, street vendors and other
\npoor people whose economic situation forces them to squat on
\nvacant land or to do business in inappropriate or forbidden
\nplaces (facilitated by the bribing of local officials), dominated
\nthe city's measures in dealing with the poor.<\/p>\n
Many of them, like in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, have been
\nevicted several times. But since they have no money to resettle
\nin other places and the city administration fails to provide
\ncompensation for the loss of their simple homes, they keep coming
\nback after the forcible evictions.<\/p>\n
Others, like those in Pulongandang, Kelapa Gading, North
\nJakarta, had been residing on the same land for decades before
\nthe city administration forcibly evicted them.<\/p>\n
The city public order agency maintained that they were
\nsquatters. But these \"squatters\" have access to electricity,
\npiped water, telephones and regularly pay taxes to the city
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
There were, however, some moves made to deal with the problem
\nof poverty. The city administration, for example, distributed
\nsome Rp 250 million to each subdistrict under the Subdistrict
\nSocial Empowerment Program (PPMK), which is designed to alleviate
\nurban poverty. But most of the funds allocated to the city's 167
\nsubdistricts ended up being embezzled. Reportedly, some
\nsubdistrict officials even used the money illegally to build or
\nrenovate their houses.<\/p>\n
Throughout last year, many people, including those from non-
\ngovernmental organizations, have been protesting against the
\ncity's poverty policies. But city officials still appear to base
\ntheir decision-making on the idea that all poor people in Jakarta
\nare illegally residing here, and always end up breaking the law.<\/p>\n
And to make matters worse, the City Council's 84 members have
\nconsistently failed to side with the poor, strengthening the
\nimpression that the councillors are the representatives of those
\nin power rather than the general public.<\/p>\n
This has caused many people and non-governmental
\norganizations, including the Urban Poor Consortium under the
\nleadership of Wardah Hafidz and the Jakarta Residents Forum under
\nthe leadership of Azas Tigor Nainggolan, to stage a number of
\nprotests. On one occasion, they mocked the councillors by
\nbringing along 11 ducks sporting ties on their necks.<\/p>\n
But both the city officials and councillors have never changed
\ntheir stances. And despite the fact that they are real in
\neveryday life, the problems of poverty have never been properly
\ntackled.<\/p>\n
According to the Central Bureau of Statistic (BPS), of the
\ntotal 8.2 million people living in the city, some 100,000 of them
\nare poor.<\/p>\n
And according to the National Family Planning Board (BKKBN),
\nof a total 1,429,000 families in the city, some 114,290 are poor.<\/p>\n
But according to the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), between 30
\nand 40 percent of all Jakarta residents are poor.<\/p>\n
We do not know why there are discrepancies in the figures. But
\nthey could be the results of different definitions of what is
\nabsolute poverty and relative poverty.<\/p>\n
But whatever the true figures, the poor really exist in the
\ncity. And their numbers have dramatically increased since the
\neconomic crisis in 1997 as many people have lost their jobs. Most
\nof them are migrants from cities in West, Central and East Java.
\nAnd the others come from cities outside Java.<\/p>\n
It is only natural that they left their hometowns as they saw
\nno chance of improving their lives there. And they came to
\nJakarta as they considered it a \"promised land\" where they truly
\nexpected they could improve their lives.<\/p>\n
As a result, the number of the urban poor tends to increase as
\nnew migrants keep coming to Jakarta. As they have no skills
\nthrough which they can secure proper jobs, they have to rely on
\nthe informal sector, which has been mushrooming since the
\neconomic crisis.<\/p>\n
But despite all this, they still have the right to come and
\nlive in Jakarta. The city administration cannot deny their
\nexistence and their rights. It has to start addressing their
\nproblems properly. Otherwise, it risks increasing other problems,
\nparticularly the problems of crime and environmental degradation
\nin the nation's capital.<\/p>",
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