Jakarta warned against rejecting new migrants<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A labor activist and a human rights campaigner
\nwarned the Jakarta authorities yesterday against closing the
\ndoors of the capital to fresh migrants, calling such a policy
\nineffective and a human rights violation.<\/p>\n
Bomer Pasaribu, the chairman of the Federation of All
\nIndonesian Workers Union, predicted increased migration to
\nJakarta this year as people sought to escape from rural poverty
\nto try their luck here.<\/p>\n
Bomer, who also heads the Center for Labor and Development
\nStudies, said that it was almost impossible for Jakarta to
\nprevent rural people from coming in.<\/p>\n
\"They are coming to Jakarta because their stomachs force them
\nto,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Asmara Nababan, a member of the National Commission on Human
\nRights, described the policy of restricting people's search for a
\nbetter life as a violation of human rights.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration has deployed officials at bus and
\nrailway stations to round up people suspected of being vagrants
\nand jobless as they disembark from buses or trains along with
\ncity residents who returned to their hometowns to celebrate Idul
\nFitri.<\/p>\n
The administration has predicted that 300,000 fresh migrants,
\nmostly unskilled laborers, will be joining the returnees this
\nweek.<\/p>\n
While stopping short of declaring Jakarta a closed city, the
\nauthorities are weary that these fresh migrants will add to the
\ncity's unemployment and homelessness problems.<\/p>\n
The officials will check people's ID cards; those without a
\nplace to stay and a job will be sent home. Their return journeys
\nwill be paid for by the Jakarta Social Welfare Agency.<\/p>\n
Bomer and Asmara warned of social and political upheavals if
\nthe Jakarta administration used coercive measures against fresh
\nrural migrants.<\/p>\n
While they accepted there was no short-cut solution to the
\nJakarta's problems, the two men advocated greater public
\ninvestment in the regions, which would create jobs and therefore
\ntake the pressure off Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Nababan, also the executive secretary of the International NGO
\nForum on Indonesian Development, said the government should
\naccelerate rural development to reduce the huge economic
\ndisparity between the capital and the provinces. (09)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jakarta-warned-against-rejecting-new-migrants-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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