City to intensify ID card raids soon
City to intensify ID card raids soon
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta
Post, Jakarta
Following Governor Sutiyoso's plan to issue a gubernatorial
decree to limit unskilled nonresidents entering Jakarta, the city
administration has said that it will intensify ID card raids in
its five municipalities.
The administration will start the raids on Dec. 24 to Dec. 27
in 125 subdistricts around the city, the head of the city
population agency, Sylviana Murni, said on Wednesday.
Different from previous ID card raids, she said that this
year's raids would mainly target slums, including those on the
Ciliwung riverbank in Central Jakarta, Kalideres riverbank in
West Jakarta and Kaliangke riverbank in North Jakarta.
She said that the administration would intensify the raids to
discourage people from coming to the capital city and to arrest
the increasing number of unemployed.
"We will focus on slum areas since that's where most newcomers
usually stay," Sylviana said, saying that the administration
would not check people's IDs in bus terminals, railway stations
or on the streets because the administration had learned from
past experience that it was ineffective.
The city has launched such raids every year, but usually only
at bus terminals, railway stations and on the streets.
"This year we won't do that. It's not effective. We will
target slum areas. I think that will be very effective," she
said.
Officers from the population agency and the Public Order
Office will check newcomers' ID cards, letters of work
confirmation and proof of accommodation.
She warned that anyone caught without an ID card and proof of
accommodation could be charged with violating the 1996 decree on
population and ID cards.
The decree carries a maximum punishment of six months in jail
or a fine of Rp 50,000. However, in reality people found without
ID cards can get away with paying the officials less than the
regulated Rp 50,000.
"People should know the rules because the administration put
up banners about it in several bus and railway stations before
Idul Fitri," Sylviana said, adding that the administration would
send illegal newcomers back to their hometowns.
She said that usually after spending Idul Fitri in their
hometowns, Jakartans would bring along with them relatives or
friends, who were mostly unskilled, to find jobs in the city.
The agency expected some 225,000 unskilled newcomers to enter
the city after Idul Fitri, 10 percent less than last year's
figure of 250,000. She attributed the decrease to the fact that
Jakarta had become less attractive to job seekers.
Some parties have criticized the administration's policy to
limit newcomers from entering the city and have accused the
administration of being unable to cope with overcrowding in the
city.
Urban Poor Consortium coordinator Wardah Hafidz said that the
city administration's attempt to bar migrants from entering the
city was a violation of the principles of human rights and would
not solve urban-related problems.
As long as employment remains scarce in provinces outside the
capital, people will continue migrating to the city in search of
a better life, Wardah commented.
"The city administration should cooperate with the provinces
to create new jobs in the regions so that fewer people will come
to Jakarta," she said.
Wardah added that unskilled workers continued to come to the
city as there were demands that needed to be met.
"Jakartans need maids, helpers and others to do menial jobs
that don't require certified skills. The villagers respond to
this demand because there is no better choice in their
hometowns," she remarked.