City councilors not sure they can curb urbanization
City councilors not sure they can curb urbanization
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors agree with Governor Surjadi
Soedirdja that population remains the most serious problem in the
capital but they appear a bid skeptical that the municipality can
successfully impede the pace of urbanization.
Lukman F. Mokoginta from the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
faction, Nitra Arsjad from the Golkar faction, and Helmy R.
Syihab from the United Development Party (PPP) told The Jakarta
Post separately that efforts to curb the influx of migrants to
Jakarta are doomed to failure as long as development efforts
continue to be focused in the capital.
"Thus, Jakarta can not solve the problem without any support
from the national level administration. People will automatically
stop migrating to Jakarta if they find 'milk and honey' in their
native region," said Helmy.
The councilors praised the joint-cooperation between Jakarta
and other provinces that are considered the major places of
origin of migrants, which include all three provinces in Java,
Bali and Lampung.
Under the joint-cooperation, which is called sad praja, the
city administration is to take part in financing workshops aimed
at providing migrants with various skills that will later help
them to make a living in their respective regions.
"The scheme is good for the long term. But we don't know how
well it is currently being conducted," said Nitra.
The councilors commented on the recent remarks by the governor
that the municipality had applied various means of curbing the
migration of less-educated and unskilled people in a bid to solve
the acute population problem.
Lurah
Aside from the sad praja program, Surjadi said the city
administration has also used what he called an "early tackling
program" of migrants.
Under this program, the municipal officials would drive away
squatters before they can illegally settle down on state land in
large numbers.
"This way will make it difficult for them to settle down here.
As a result, they will decide to leave Jakarta, and discourage
their fellow villagers from migrating to the capital," the
governor argued.
The governor said he had instructed all subdistrict chiefs
(lurah) to regularly tour their own jurisdiction to implement the
method.
However, both Nitra and Lukman appeared skeptical that the
method could be effective.
"The officials who are very well informed of their areas are
not lurah, but chiefs of neighborhood. They are chosen by the
area residents and are not paid for their jobs. These men would
not allow themselves be bothered with another task of inspection
unless they were paid," Nitra said.
As an alternative to this "early tackling scheme", Helmy
proposed the municipality fence in all plots of land owned by the
state here so no squatters could settle on them.
"What happens frequently is subdistrict officials make extra
income by letting the migrants illegally stay on the state land
after charging arbitrary 'fees,'" said Helmy.
Nitra said he fully supported the city's migrant policy that
would discourage uneducated people from moving to Jakarta.
He was upset, however, over what he saw as the inconsistency
of the municipality in enforcing the policy, as it also issues
the so-called "temporary ID's" to less-educated migrants.
"The temporary ID policy is useless. The municipality needs to
revoke it as soon as possible," said Nitra. (jsk)