Jakarta: Headache remains<\/p>\n
To most people coming from the rural areas, Jakarta's allure
\nlies in more than its glitter. It is a city of hope and
\nopportunity that holds the promise of a better life. Of course,
\nsuch hopes are often not substantiated. However, the fact that
\nJakarta is becoming an ever greater lure to the rural populace is
\ncausing serious headaches for the city administration.<\/p>\n
The ugly side of urbanization is symbolized by the mushrooming
\nof shanty towns, counteracting the governments efforts to
\nmodernize the city. Indeed, turning Jakarta into a modern
\nmetropolis has become something of a mission sacre, since Jakarta
\nis not only the seat of government of a fast developing nation
\nbut also an important industrial hub and cultural center.<\/p>\n
Ironically, the city's advantages have also become its
\nweaknesses. The slum areas are a major eyesore and the rush of
\nunskilled labor into the city continues unabated, making the
\nalready gaping social gap more and more apparent. The soaring
\ncrime rate, the shortage of clean water and the lack of an
\nadequate traffic system have made the problem even worse. One
\ngovernor after another since the birth of the New Order
\ngovernment in the late 1960s has tried their best to conquer all
\nthe problems, but with little success.<\/p>\n
The present governor of Jakarta, Surjadi Soedirdja, disclosed
\nin his statement welcoming the 467th anniversary of the city,
\nwhich occurs today, that he would try hard to curb the migration
\nof unskilled people from the rural areas, rid the city of the
\nugly slums and build apartment buildings to house the squatters.<\/p>\n
His predecessors tried to improve the poor sectors of the city
\nby introducing kampong improvement projects. The program, which
\nstarted in 1984, has scored some impressive results. Apartment
\nbuildings have risen all over the city, even in areas where
\npoverty prevails. Yet the overall population situation has grown
\nworse.<\/p>\n
In his program to combat this problem, Surjadi said he would
\norder the entire city apparatus to try to quickly detect the
\nemergence of any new slum pockets and that he would work together
\nwith other provincial administrations in an effort to deter
\nunskilled people from moving into Jakarta.<\/p>\n
We recognize a serious and admirable intent in Governor
\nSurjadi's. Nevertheless, we hope the governor will be more down-
\nto-earth in his observation of Jakarta's populace. Plans to
\nutilize the city apparatus to curb the mushrooming of the slums
\nhave failed through a number of gubernatorial administrations.
\nThis is because the officers in charge at the subdistrict and
\ndistrict levels have failed to cooperate. They not only allow
\nnewly arrived squatters to occupy government land and erect
\nshanties there, they also provide them with ID cards.<\/p>\n
This is also the case with land belonging to the railway
\ncompany, much of which has been occupied by squatters for
\ndecades.<\/p>\n
We wish Governor Surjadi every success in the execution of his
\nprograms, but making every officer toe the government line is no
\neasy job. Many mayors are even reluctant to check the situation
\non the spot.<\/p>\n
What makes his job even more difficult is the fact that this
\ninflux is merely one of the negative sides of inequitable
\ndevelopment. As long as the rural population are unable to make
\nends meet in the provinces, migration into the urban areas
\nremains the rural population's best hope for a better life.<\/p>\n
Those people believe that Jakarta is a place of affluence
\nwhere the streets are paved with gold. The reality is that many
\nof these people will be living in shanties on streets paved with
\nasphalt, because apartments and houses are out of their price
\nrange.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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