Cry of the poor
Cry of the poor
From Warta Kota
August is the month of freedom for people all over Indonesia.
To commemorate Independence Day, people in the country held
various contests and unfurled red-and-white flags along the
alleys where they live. Many people participated in contests,
grabbing a victory and maintaining sportsmanship and togetherness
among themselves. People understand that freedom is the substance
to begin a nation's life and they interpret it symbolically with
fun games in which they can take a part.
The new administration has just been established with the
support of millions of people at the grassroot level, people who
have been living in poverty for decades. With nearly insensible
patience, people keep waiting for a government that can listen to
their heartfelt cry and feel their hardships in life.
But, what has happened? The people's dream has been shattered
because of the acts taken by security and order personnel of the
Jakarta regional administration, putting an end to a variety of
economic activities carried out by poor people earning a living
as sidewalk vendors, pedicab drivers, street vendors, buskers and
the like. The city administration has beaten a drum of war
against ordinary people who wish to make a living legally and
sweat over a rightful job, an activity that is free from
corruption.
Security forces with scores of trucks containing hundreds of
public order officers, the police and the military, have trampled
upon ordinary people's rights in the economic, social and
cultural spheres, firing tear gas and showering rude words upon
poor people.
The Jakarta regional administration has used up the city
budget of Rp 102 billion to execute such acts of demolition,
funds that should have been spent on creating job opportunities,
facilitating the economic activities of ordinary people to get
them through the prolonged multifaceted crisis. It has also spent
Rp 5 billion on the expansion of the Kedoya housing building, a
jail for the scavengers, tramps and sex workers they apprehend.
Where should such people go? How can they survive? Allow me to
call on President Megawati, the governor of Jakarta, the leaders
of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, all political and
bureaucratic figures to listen to the cry of these ordinary
people. Stop despotism. If the relevant parties pay no heed to
this matter, it means that such parties are actually encouraging
a social revolution, something that this nation might have to pay
for very dearly.
WARDAH HAFIDZ
Coordinator of Urban Poor Consortium
Jakarta