Squatters reject transmigration offer<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Yosie, 50, who lives on the banks of Ciliwung River in Manggarai,
\nSouth Jakarta, has no hesitation in responding to an offer by
\nGovernor Sutiyoso for riverbank squatters to take part in an
\noptional transmigration scheme.<\/p>\n
\"No. Sorry, I'm not interested,\" he said, never looking up
\nfrom the bamboo he was working on. \"I don't believe that I will
\nget what they have promised.\"<\/p>\n
Yosie, a father of two, said he has lived in the neighborhood
\nsince he was born. \"I belong here. We are used to coping with
\nrepeated flooding if that is the reason behind the
\nadministration's policy to send us away from here.\"<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso made the offer last week, giving priority to
\nsquatters on the banks of the 13 rivers that flow through the
\ncapital who hold Jakarta ID cards. If they joined the program,
\nthe squatters would be moved to sparsely populated areas outside
\nJava island.<\/p>\n
\"Illegal squatters who have Jakarta ID cards will be the first
\nto go since they are a major contributor to the narrowing and
\nshallowing of the rivers, making them prone to overflowing,\" the
\ngovernor said.<\/p>\n
Numerous studies on the cause of the annual floods in the city
\nstate that Jakarta is prone to flooding because 40 percent of the
\ncapital lies beneath sea level. The situation is aggravated by
\nthe loss of water catchment areas, many of which have been
\nconverted to housing complexes and shopping malls.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said he had received reports that many of the
\nsquatters were enthusiastic to take part in the transmigration
\nscheme, under which each family would be given two hectares of
\nland in Sumatra, Kalimantan or Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The governor also promised that the scheme would not repeat
\nthe mistakes of similar programs in the 1970s, when a huge number
\nof participants returned home after not receiving the help they
\nhad been promised.<\/p>\n
He invited the squatters to check out the locations where they
\nwould be sent before making any decisions. \"It is up to them
\nwhether they are willing to join the scheme or not.\"<\/p>\n
But Sardan, 45, who lives on the banks of Angke River in North
\nJakarta, is skeptical his family would be better off if they
\njoined the transmigration program.<\/p>\n
\"I have no agricultural skills. I would not survive there
\nbecause I have never cultivated a field in my life,\" said Sardan,
\nwho works at an industrial plant in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The father of three, who originally comes from Purwokerto,
\nCentral Java, has lived in a semipermanent home located 15 meters
\nfrom Angke River since 1986.<\/p>\n
The head of the Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Agency,
\nAli Zubeir, said the agency was still studying the possibility of
\nother provincial administrations and the central government also
\nparticipating in the program.<\/p>\n
\"We hope we can share the financing burden. For instance, the
\nJakarta administration could cover the transportation costs, the
\nprovincial administrations at the destination locations could
\nprovide housing, while the central government could cover the
\nliving costs of the participants,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/squatters-reject-transmigration-offer-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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