No more evictions, please<\/p>\n
Our sense of justice was moved by the recent, forcible
\ndemolition of hundreds of houses belonging to squatters in
\nKampung Baru, Cengkareng, and Kampung Sawah, both in West
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Hysteria and anger among the owners of the illegal buildings
\nand the arrogance of the officers in charge of the demolition led
\nto some shocking incidents and bloody scuffles. Several people
\nwere injured in the clashes.<\/p>\n
Who is to blame? This short question needs a long answer as it
\ninvolves people living at a subsistence level, and the
\ninconsistent policies of the administration.<\/p>\n
People with the least bit of common sense may wonder why the
\nauthorities had not taken action in the early stages, when only a
\nfew people started to build shacks on the vacant land.<\/p>\n
It has long been known that local administrations tend to
\nexploit squatters, many of whom are aware of their illegal
\nstatus.<\/p>\n
If they are left alone, the number of squatters grows in step
\nwith the services they get from the local administration, from
\nsubdistrict to municipality level. The new community gains
\nrecognition after neighborhood chiefs are elected, who in turn
\nrecommend the squatters for ID cards.<\/p>\n
Electricity and telephone lines are then made available to the
\nfamilies, who pay their property tax annually.<\/p>\n
Soon after the forcible evictions in Kampung Baru and Kampung
\nSawah, some squatters said they had paid millions of rupiah to
\ncertain people claiming to be from the administration, who
\nguaranteed the squatters that eviction would be unlikely.<\/p>\n
All this happened in the New Order era, when squatter
\ncommunities were allowed to live on land belonging to the state
\nor the city administration because the squatters promised to vote
\nfor a particular political party in the election.<\/p>\n
But squatters pose a very serious problem to society after the
\nreal owners of the land reclaim their property and ask the
\nauthorities to clear plots of illegal occupants. At this point,
\nthe officials who have helped the squatters to settle wash their
\nhands of any wrongdoing and order their subordinates to evict the
\n"illegal citizens."<\/p>\n
After attending the 18th World Habitat Day commemoration in
\nDenpasar, Bali, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Thursday
\nthat local administrations must be fair in treating squatters so
\nas not to allow the problem to lead to rioting. She also said she
\nregretted that councillors had given the nod to the forcible
\nevictions.<\/p>\n
It is obvious from all this that the administration has no
\nintegrated program or plan to deal with migrants. The
\nadministration and the City Council should have sat together with
\nthe representatives of the "illegal residents" and all the
\nrelevant parties involved in a bid to draw up appropriate
\npolicies for the migrants.<\/p>\n
Decision makers in Jakarta should be aware that this capital
\ncity is a magnet for people from other areas of the country. In
\nfact, it is an example that applies to all of the world's large
\nurban centers.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people from towns and villages throughout the
\narchipelago move to Jakarta annually for reasons of economic
\nnecessity. Many fail to land a well-paid job and many others
\nreturn to their hometowns, but most try to survive in Jakarta in
\nwhatever way possible.<\/p>\n
The annual influx of migrants from other areas of the country
\nhas for decades been a headache for the Jakarta administration.
\nPolicies to deal with urbanization have been drawn up, but none
\nhas so far been fruitful. Former governor Ali Sadikin tried to
\nclose Jakarta to people who had no job or guaranteed place to
\nlive. The move failed.<\/p>\n
The current governor, Sutiyoso, once tried to revive Ali
\nSadikin's idea. The unpopular move also did not work. As
\ndevelopment in other regions -- in line with regional autonomy --
\nhas yet to prove successful, urbanization continues relentlessly.<\/p>\n
The recent action against squatters is just a reflection of
\nthe lack of an integrated approach to deal with migration.
\nDemolishing squatter dwellings and evicting families from their
\nillegal homes won't solve the core problem. Prudent and
\nresponsible action must be taken by the city administration. As
\njob opportunities in the capital are also very rare, the
\nadministration should at least provide either money or free
\ntransportation to the migrants so that they can return to their
\nhometowns.<\/p>\n
Once governors are installed, they must be aware of burdensome
\njobs that need tough, but humane handling. Therefore, a clear
\nvision and mission, including a grand program to deal with the
\ncity's problems, including the handling of migrants, is
\nessential. The governor should also be able to clearly
\ncommunicate all the programs to the city's residents.<\/p>\n
Squatting is illegal, but the 1945 Constitution guarantees
\nthat all citizens are entitled to work and are free to live in
\nany part of the country. Article 34 of the Constitution clearly
\nsays that the state cares for the poor.<\/p>\n
While providing jobs and housing for the poor remains a dream
\nfor the state, a civilized and humane approach is appropriate.<\/p>\n
The recent, forcible evictions indicate poor communication
\nbetween the administration and residents. The evictions also
\nreflect the authorities' frustration and lack of knowledge to
\nmanage this teeming capital city. Forcible eviction is, after
\nall, a violation of the basic human rights of citizens and should
\nbe avoided.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-more-evictions-please-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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