City prepares for influx of migrants after Idul Fitri
City prepares for influx of migrants after Idul Fitri
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With about 2.11 million people estimated to be leaving the
capital for Idul Fitri, the city administration is gearing up for
an increasing number of migrants entering Jakarta after the
festivities.
Head of the City Population and Civil Registration Agency,
Sylviana Murni, said on Tuesday that as many as 270 officers
would be deployed at all entrance gates to the city -- from
seaports, airport, bus terminals, train stations to toll road
gates -- to monitor the outflow and inflow of travelers.
"We hope that the effort will give us an accurate picture of
the number of newcomers," she said.
Sylviana said the officers would also hold massive ID card
sweeps to raid newcomers who do not possess the required
documentation, such as a letter of explanation from authorized
officials from their hometowns, as stipulated in the city bylaw
no. 1/1996 on the population registration and population
management information system.
The 270 officers will be from the City Population and Civil
Registration Agency and the City Public Order Agency.
On average, around 230,000 people come to Jakarta every year
after Idul Fitri celebrations. Last year, a total of 231,528
migrants entered the capital.
Most are unskilled workers who end up working low-paid jobs
such as maids or gardeners. Some of the more skilled workers can
find employment as drivers or nannies.
Governor Sutiyoso has repeatedly called on the people not to
bring along their relatives or friends from outside Jakarta if
they have not secured permanent jobs.
He has blamed the migrants for erecting makeshift houses on
vacant land and creating slum areas. These people have been the
targeted for eviction.
The official city population is 8.36 million people, with 7.46
million holding Jakarta ID cards registered at the City
Population and Civil Registration Agency while the remaining
900,000 hold seasonal ID cards.
I-box
Idul Fitri population fluctuations in Jakarta:
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Year Outflow Inflow addition percentage
--------------------------------------------------------------
1998 2,853,868 3,201,624 347,756 12.19
1999 2,622,430 2,857,215 234,785 8.95
2000 2,159,729 2,416,452 256,723 11.89
2000/ 2,436,007 2,612,012 176,005 7.23
2001
2001 2,372,069 2,507,255 135,186 5.70
2002 2,643,273 2,874,893 231,528 8.76
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Average 2,514,563 2,744,909 230,528 9.12
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Source: City Population and Civil Registration Agency