Do not generalize about newcomers: Expert

Do not generalize about newcomers: Expert

JAKARTA (JP): A criminologist has said only a minority of the
newcomers to the capital are likely to end up as criminals.

Harkristuti Herkrisnowo said it would take newcomers a
relatively long time to become criminals. The surroundings and
individuals' personalities would be the main contributing
factors, she said.

But crimes here are not predominantly committed by the newly
arrived, unskilled migrants, Harkristuti said.

"We cannot generalize that all newcomers failing to get a job
will end up as criminals. A few could turn to crime or end up as
illegal vendors. But we have to look further for the causes," she
told The Jakarta Post.

Harkristuti was responding to fears that newcomers arriving
after the Idul Fitri holiday would cause problems in the city.

Governor Surjadi Soedirja has said many unskilled migrants
could either end up as criminals or illegal vendors if they fail
to get jobs.

"Newcomers usually take advantage of people returning to their
hometowns for Idul Fitri to act as their guides to Jakarta. Many
end up as street vendors, beggars or vagabonds," he said.

The City Population Office said 3.05 million Jakartans went to
their hometowns for the celebrations this year and returned with
329,468 newcomers.

Harkristuti, who teaches at the University of Indonesia, said
a person would not turn to crime unless the conditions were
suitable and opportunities presented themselves to break the law.

"Urban living conditions are more conducive to crime. There
are more ways (to break the law) -- through the loosening of
social norms and control, and wider economic and social gaps,"
she said.

But she said most newcomers worked hard to support not only
themselves but also their families still living in rural areas.

Being unskilled and uneducated, most newcomers become
servants, vendors, drivers and casual laborers, she said.

"The influx of unskilled migrants might become a problem for
the city, but most of us need people to do these jobs."

Sociologist Paulus Wirutomo said crimes involving newcomers
would mostly occur in the increasingly densely populated suburban
areas, populated by both middle and low income earners. Jakarta
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso has said that most crimes
occur in the city's outskirts.

Population growth is currently growing at six percent in
suburban areas while it is rising by only two percent in
metropolitan Jakarta, Paulus said.

He said it was possible the increasingly visible economic gap
could provoke jealousy and lead to crime.

People bringing friends back to Jakarta no longer try to find
jobs and accommodation for them in the city, but in Tangerang and
Bekasi, he said.

Paulus, also from the University of Indonesia, agreed that
Jakartans were very reliant on the informal sector but said
people like street vendors did pose a public order problem
because of their growing number.

Initial intentions of foodstall owners to help friends from
the villages to find work, he said, did not materialize. Both
owners and helpers received less revenue given tighter
competition.

Surjadi has said he would enforce a decree on population to
curb the influx of newcomers, especially migrants without
citizenship cards and letters guaranteeing employment and
accommodation in Jakarta.

Harkristuti said enforcing the decree was good for the city to
anticipate future population problems. Jakarta's population is
currently about nine million.

But she stressed that to deter newcomers the real solution was
to boost development in rural areas. (04)