Activists condemn city administration

Activists condemn city administration

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists criticized on Tuesday the city administration's
policy on the eviction of poor urban people, including those
living along riverbanks here.

Tubagus H. Karbyanto, spokesman of the Antieviction Society
Alliance, said the eviction policy showed that the administration
had never regarded the poor as city residents.

The alliance comprises seven nongovernmental organizations:
Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ), Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
(LBH), the Voluntary Team for Humanity (TRUK), Jakarta Residents
Forum (FAKTA), STOVIA UI, the Common Peoples' Welfare Foundation
(YKRS) and Jakarta Social Youth (PSJ).

"The administration will never cope with the problems if it
continues to demolish slums or crack down on becak (pedicabs)
without providing a solution," he told The Jakarta Post after
addressing a media conference on the eviction of poor people by
the administration.

Tubagus said that before evicting people, the administration
ought to discuss it beforehand with the people concerned.

It was hoped that the administration would also provide
alternative places or jobs for them.

"It's not fair if they (the poor) are evicted just like that.
What will happen to their families? How will they survive?" he
asked, adding that eviction of the poor could lead to an increase
in crime.

According to Tubagus, the administration had manipulated the
city budget in evicting the poor.

Earlier reports said that the city administration had
allocated about Rp 36 billion in funding for public order
operations against pedicab drivers, street vendors, prostitutes
and transvestites.

The city administration claimed that it had confiscated more
than 11,000 becak during operations from August to October this
year.

Since last month, the administration has demolished slums at
riverbanks around the city in order to minimize the impact of
flooding during the rainy season.

Thousands of people were left homeless, as their houses in
East Ancol and Pejagalan in North Jakarta were demolished
recently. The city administration refused to pay any compensation
to the people as they were accused of illegally occupied the land.