Danger unites Kelapa Gading residents to face threats

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Danger has the capacity to unite different people to brave a common threat. That is the case for Kelapa Gading residents in North Jakarta who are now protesting the construction of a sports complex which they believe violates land use regulations.

"We are not afraid as we are ready to face all risks," Harry AR, 63, who resides less than 20 meters from the project area, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Referring to a notice placed in the area, Harry said, the lot could only be developed for social facilities, which includes the construction of schools or state offices.

Most developers violate the regulation that obliges them to build social and public facilities in their project area. But no firm action is taken by the authorities against the delinquent developers while local residents are usually resigned to their fate.

The resistance against the Kelapa Gading sports complex would be the first of its kind.

Hundreds of Kelapa Gading residents, mostly of the middle to upper income bracket, threatened on Monday to sue the city administration.

Earlier, many of them had physically tried to stop the project without success as the developer was backed by hundreds of police officers and public order officers.

Another resident said they also experienced intimidation from thugs hired by the project developer.

In fear of continued intimidation, some residents were forced to flee to safer places with their families.

The residents also reported attempts to bribe them to back off from the protest.

Instead of being deterred by the threats and bribery, the residents' awareness of the law and public responsibility has grown.

"The dispute has taught me a lot about the law and other regulations, something that I was not familiar with before," said Suwandi S., a neighborhood unit chief.

The planned stadium, which will include an international- standard basketball arena and a mall with 264 kiosks is being developed on an empty plot of land in the middle of a housing complex. It will be constructed by a subsidiary of private company PT Satria Mahaka, under the build operate transfer (BOT) system.

Access to the site is a narrow street, Jl. Kelapa Nias Raya, of only six meters width, made of paving blocks, instead of asphalt.

The residents protested the construction as it would create more traffic congestion in the narrow streets and threaten their security.