Activists slam habitat award for Jakarta
Activists slam habitat award for Jakarta
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A United Nations agency's move on Monday to name Jakarta as one
of the cities on this year's Habitat Scroll of Honour award has
been slammed by urban activists.
The UN's Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) gave the
Jakarta administration the award for transforming the city a
safer, better-serviced and greener place under the two terms of
Governor Sutiyoso's leadership; highlighting the upgrade of the
city's flood canal system, improvements to parks, and the
reconstruction of major public facilities.
"This award today ... is actually not only recognition to the
Governor of Jakarta, but of course this award goes also to the
city and the people of Jakarta," UN-HABITAT executive director
Anna Tibaijuka told The Jakarta Post after kicking off World
Habitat Day 2005 at the low-cost Bumi Cengkareng Indah apartments
in West Jakarta.
World Habitat Day falls on the first Monday of October each
year.
The other Indonesian winners are Johan Silas, who initiated
the establishment of affordable homes for tsunami survivors in
Aceh and villagers in East Java, and the late North Sumatra
governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin who provided facilities for tsunami
and earthquake survivors in Nias.
Other country's who won awards included China, for its Straw-
Bale Energy Efficient Housing Transfer Project, and Sweden's
Solar Housing Renovation.
Tibaijuka said it was not easy to run a "mega" city such as
Jakarta with more than 10 million people. Despite the many
challenges that needed to be faced, the progress made also needed
to be recognized, she said.
However, urban activists from Jakarta's Urban Poor Network,
Greater Jakarta Becak Network, Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), and
Urban Poor Linkage (UPLINK) -- slammed the award and demanded UN-
HABITAT take it back. The groups accused the Jakarta
administration of sacrificing the interests of the poor when
developing the city.
"The facts show that the city has forcibly evicted 92,720
people from their homes, destroyed 23,205 becak (three-wheeled
pedicabs) and removed 62,263 street vendors in the past five
years," the non-governmental organizations said in a joint
statement.
The groups noted the Swiss-based Centre on Housing Rights and
Evictions (COHRE) had awarded Indonesia its "Housing Rights
Violator Award" in 2003 for being a country with the most forced
evictions, of which the city of Jakarta had featured prominently.
Having toured the slum areas of Jati Pulo in West Jakarta and
Pela Mampang in South Jakarta, Tibaijuka said that it was clearly
not in the best interests of the people to be allowed to live in
such risky environments.
"We have launched the Slum Upgrading Facility. We are trying
to see how we can bring in more savings, in particular to bring
in the private sector to create a low-cost mortgage system," she
said, noting that people living in the slum areas she visited
still had to pay rent.
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A United Nations agency's move on Monday to name Jakarta as one
of the cities on this year's Habitat Scroll of Honour award has
been slammed by urban activists.
The UN's Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) gave the
Jakarta administration the award for transforming the city a
safer, better-serviced and greener place under the two terms of
Governor Sutiyoso's leadership; highlighting the upgrade of the
city's flood canal system, improvements to parks, and the
reconstruction of major public facilities.
"This award today ... is actually not only recognition to the
Governor of Jakarta, but of course this award goes also to the
city and the people of Jakarta," UN-HABITAT executive director
Anna Tibaijuka told The Jakarta Post after kicking off World
Habitat Day 2005 at the low-cost Bumi Cengkareng Indah apartments
in West Jakarta.
World Habitat Day falls on the first Monday of October each
year.
The other Indonesian winners are Johan Silas, who initiated
the establishment of affordable homes for tsunami survivors in
Aceh and villagers in East Java, and the late North Sumatra
governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin who provided facilities for tsunami
and earthquake survivors in Nias.
Other country's who won awards included China, for its Straw-
Bale Energy Efficient Housing Transfer Project, and Sweden's
Solar Housing Renovation.
Tibaijuka said it was not easy to run a "mega" city such as
Jakarta with more than 10 million people. Despite the many
challenges that needed to be faced, the progress made also needed
to be recognized, she said.
However, urban activists from Jakarta's Urban Poor Network,
Greater Jakarta Becak Network, Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), and
Urban Poor Linkage (UPLINK) -- slammed the award and demanded UN-
HABITAT take it back. The groups accused the Jakarta
administration of sacrificing the interests of the poor when
developing the city.
"The facts show that the city has forcibly evicted 92,720
people from their homes, destroyed 23,205 becak (three-wheeled
pedicabs) and removed 62,263 street vendors in the past five
years," the non-governmental organizations said in a joint
statement.
The groups noted the Swiss-based Centre on Housing Rights and
Evictions (COHRE) had awarded Indonesia its "Housing Rights
Violator Award" in 2003 for being a country with the most forced
evictions, of which the city of Jakarta had featured prominently.
Having toured the slum areas of Jati Pulo in West Jakarta and
Pela Mampang in South Jakarta, Tibaijuka said that it was clearly
not in the best interests of the people to be allowed to live in
such risky environments.
"We have launched the Slum Upgrading Facility. We are trying
to see how we can bring in more savings, in particular to bring
in the private sector to create a low-cost mortgage system," she
said, noting that people living in the slum areas she visited
still had to pay rent.