Megawati 'supports' divisive policy<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri was quoted on Friday as
\ngiving support to the city administration's controversial policy
\nof curbing the flow of migrants into the capital.<\/p>\n
\"The President asked whether the city administration was going
\nto continue to let migrants flood into the capital and whether it
\nwas not necessary to establish rules to curb the movement,\"
\nGovernor Sutiyoso told reporters after meeting with Megawati.<\/p>\n
According to the governor, the President is concerned that
\nriverbank squatters would return to live along the riverbanks
\neven though they had already been relocated.<\/p>\n
\"That means the city administration must think of ways to
\nlimit the influx of migrants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government is planning to relocate riverbank squatters,
\nwho mostly consist of migrants, as their unauthorized settlements
\nare considered to be one of the causes of flooding.<\/p>\n
Last December, Sutiyoso said the city administration would
\nissue a bylaw to reduce urbanization as Jakarta had become the
\ndestination of villagers nationwide who were seeking a better
\nlife.<\/p>\n
The plan to make Jakarta a closed city, however, has received
\nstrong criticism from activists. They say that any such bylaw
\nwould fly in the face of the basic rights of Indonesian citizens
\nto travel to any part of the country, and that the plan was
\nsimply a reflection of the administration's inability to solve
\nurban development problems in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Many thousands of people, including many with no skills, flock
\nto the capital every year. One of the most obvious problems
\ncaused by the phenomenon is the emergence of slums in many areas,
\nincluding along Jakarta's riverbanks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-supports-divisive-policy-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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