Sons and daughters of a lesser god<\/p>\n
Fabio Scarpello, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Approaching Teluk Gong, along the West Flood Canal in North
\nJakarta, an apocalyptic vision of utter poverty and misery
\nstrikes you.<\/p>\n
Resembling a war zone, makeshift tents, burnt huts and litter
\nstare you in the face. Garbage is everywhere and rats rein
\nsupreme where children play. Conditions are conducive to an
\nepidemic, and only the frequent visits of volunteer doctors have
\nprevented the situation from deteriorating. But these people are
\nnot at war.<\/p>\n
Pak Ijar invites us into his tent.<\/p>\n
"Why is our government treating us like animals?" he asks.<\/p>\n
His is one of the 444 families still living in the area. In
\nOctober 2001 there were over 8,000. Since then 12 "visits" by the
\npolice and public order officials -- enforcing eviction orders --
\nhave reduced the number drastically. The last visit was on June
\n24, the next feared not too far away. Every time harassment and
\nbeatings have occurred, and on six occasions houses were burned
\ndown.<\/p>\n
All these people's earthly possessions have evaporated with
\nthe smoke, leaving a deep feeling of powerlessness, mixed with
\nanger and frustration.<\/p>\n
"I am still living here because I hope that there will be
\njustice for the people of this country. My children are still
\ngoing to school and I want them to have a better future, besides
\nI have no money to go anywhere else," Ijar said.<\/p>\n
The tent he shares with his wife and three children is only
\ntwo meters by three meters in size. Even the bare essentials are
\nmissing but he still fears the worst: They will come back and
\ndestroy what they find.<\/p>\n
"Sometimes they throw the bed in the river, sometimes other
\nthings. There is no end, we are used to it," Ijar said.<\/p>\n
These people are considered squatters -- this is their crime.
\nLegally they are not resident in Jakarta but the maze of today's
\nbureaucracy leaves them little room in which to maneuver.<\/p>\n
To obtain residency you need an ID card, and hardly any of
\nthem has one. To get an ID card you need residency. It is a
\nclassic catch-22 situation.<\/p>\n
Nasaruddin is bewildered. He has been living here for the
\nlongest period of his life.<\/p>\n
"I was the first here. I arrived 30 years ago when the area
\nwas a forest. I used to plant vegetables and sell them, managing
\n-- at that time -- to make a decent living. I have five children;
\nthey were all born here. This is home -- where am I meant to go?"<\/p>\n
Shifting them to their village of origin would give Jakarta a
\nface-lift but hardly seems the solution to the problem.<\/p>\n
Ismu Andoro, from the non-governmental organization
\nHumanitarian Volunteer Team, has been living with these people
\nfor the past nine months. He shared their houses and now shares
\ntheir fate.<\/p>\n
First he praises the community and the way it has rallied to
\nhelp the squatters. Everybody has been very supportive, he says
\n-- food and clothes are regularly brought in. Volunteer doctors
\ntake turns in visiting these people and organizations such as
\nSanggar Ciliwung and Sanggar Akar have provided the children with
\nalternative education.<\/p>\n
"But obviously, this is not enough to compensate for the lack
\nof 'proper' schooldays missed," he said.<\/p>\n
Saying that, his body language changes drastically, betraying
\nfrustration: A viable solution would have been to grant temporary
\nresidency. This would have given the squatters a breathing space
\nduring which to apply for an ID. But this idea has been rejected.<\/p>\n
"Now, with Komnas HAM (the National Commission on Human
\nRights), we are trying to form a commission to investigate the
\nhuman rights abuses that have taken place and give the squatters'
\nrequests a voice." he said.<\/p>\n
The requests are straightforward: compensation for the
\nmaterial losses incurred and a place at which to stay for a
\nminimum of three years.<\/p>\n
But the city government seems -- so far -- unmovable. Teluk
\nGong has been declared unavailable for dwellings, no alternative
\nlocation has been provided and compensation has been fixed at Rp
\n500,000 per family.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sons-and-daughters-of-a-lesser-god-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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