Better City, Better Life?

The older Jakarta gets, the more disorderly it becomes. A befitting statement, perhaps, as the capital celebrates its 477th anniversary this month.

While many cities across the globe have grown better managed and more civilized with age, Jakarta is not yet on the right track to becoming a real "home" for its nine million inhabitants.

Continual conflicts of interest between the city management and citizens have almost brought development to a standstill.

Unclear policies regarding the city's management have frequently led to tragedy, especially for the poor. The demolition of shanties and illegal houses, as well as the evictions of roadside vendors, could be cited as examples.

Shanties, especially those along riverbanks, have been blamed for causing floods, while roadside vendors are said to cause traffic chaos. This is unfair, as the shanties are not the sole cause of flooding, and roadside vendors are not the only party to blame for traffic congestions. However, there will always be scapegoats.

Lately, demolitions have often been "spiced" with physical clashes between public order officers and residents, a phenomena that suggests the authorities are not ready to humanely carry out demolitions. Nor can they find a better solution to deal with these "illegal" city dwellers.

Evicted from one area, the poor move to another, and then to another. Houses are torn down for the lack of a permit, families become drifters.

It is an episodic story and, given the steady number of incoming migrants, no resolution is in sight.

The time has come for the administration to give the urban poor -- who mostly work in the informal sector, including as roadside vendors -- new opportunities, options even.

It must find a way to protect the informal sector and, if possible, adapt it to become an integral part of the national economic system. In this way, their role in the national economy would be acknowledged and secure.

As for their place of residence, by necessity, the poor are mostly squatters. It is interesting, in this context, to mull the suggestion of Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium: To adapt the success stories of Thailand and India, whose governments made plots available to poor families, and asked them to buy the land in installments. A strong political will, however, is the key.

Development in Jakarta at present would seem far from directional. Shopping malls, plazas, whatever you want to call them, cast a gloomy shadow. The program to alleviate poverty has never been consistent, nor well-planned, but if the administration fails to provide appropriate ways to deal with poverty, the myriad of existing problems will not be resolved.

The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider and wider. Many people can afford to buy a one-billion-rupiah car, while others can hardly make even Rp 500,000 a month. With the unemployment rate still high, the number of hungry people cannot be expected to diminish. This could lead to jealousy resulting in social unrest. The steady crime rate is another indicator of the distressing economic situation suffered by so many citizens.

For the moment, Jakartans can only hope that regional autonomy will work properly -- which would comprise the provision of jobs by other provinces for their own citizens. That way, provincial job seekers would no longer need to knock at Jakarta's door.

If this could be achieved, Jakarta would be able to raise itself up as a more humane and more secure city. Unfortunately, judging from the current scenario -- and without good guidance or an integrated plan -- becoming a better city is a tall order. Thus, we fear that Governor Sutiyoso's motto "Better City, Better Life" will remain an empty slogan. It seems that 477 years is too short a time for Jakarta to develop.