Workers worry about new housing policy<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Construction workers have expressed wariness after the
\ngovernment announced its intention to review the issuance of
\npermits for the building of new housing complex projects in
\nGreater Jakarta in an effort to prevent future flooding.<\/p>\n
The workers complained that their livelihoods could be
\njeopardized if the plan were implemented.<\/p>\n
"The government cannot do that! Where else could we get a job
\nduring the hard times like the present? How will we feed our
\nfamilies at home?" Suwarno, 32, said bitterly.<\/p>\n
Suwarno, a former becak (pedicab) driver, became a
\nconstruction worker after his becak was seized by city officers
\nduring a raid three years ago. As a worker, the father of two
\ncould earn up to Rp 300,000 a week and send his eldest child to
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
"How can I pay my child's school fees? I don't want her to
\ndrop out of school like I did," said Suwarno, who dropped out of
\njunior high school.<\/p>\n
However, Suwarno's colleague, Aji, was cool-headed as he
\nbelieved that the government was only threatening developers.<\/p>\n
"The government would not do that. It must consider that if
\nthe plan were carried out, hundreds of thousands of people like
\nus would become unemployed," said the high school graduate.<\/p>\n
But deep down, Aji, whose wife is pregnant, was worried. "It's
\nnot easy to get a job nowadays. Besides, I couldn't go back to
\nmy hometown as I'd have nothing to do there," he said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno
\nannounced last week the suspension of housing complex projects in
\nGreater Jakarta for six months. The government would review the
\nprojects' feasibility, including an environmental impact
\nassessment and the city master plan. Should there be violations,
\nit would annul the permits.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso, however, rejected the idea. The Indonesian
\nReal Estate Developers Association (REI) also objected, warning
\nthat about 1.3 million people would be jobless should it be
\nimplemented.<\/p>\n
However, the Indonesia Property Study Center gave another
\nfigure, saying that the suspension would leave hundreds of
\nthousands of people unemployed.<\/p>\n
Soenarno revised his earlier statement on Monday, explaining
\nthat the government would not suspend housing complex projects
\nnow but would temporarily freeze the issuance of new projects.<\/p>\n
The government had blamed developers for the reduction in
\ngreen areas. In fact, developers could not have carried out the
\nprojects without the issuance of permits from the administration.
\nThis was made possible because in 1995 the city administration
\nrevised the 1985-2005 master plan, deleting many green areas.
\nCritics have called for the revision of the current 1995-2010
\nmasterplan as it is inimical to sustainable development, but so
\nfar there has been no serious response from the administration.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-worry-about-new-housing-policy-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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