Empower the poor for better homes

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A housing and community development specialist with the World Bank in Jakarta, Parwoto Sugianto, has called on the government to create the right conditions for poor people to actively improve their environments.

"So far, the government has only focused on how to meet the increasing housing demands and has not empowered the community. Instead, it gives developers a big advantage," he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He claimed that no government in the world could meet the housing demands of poor people, in terms of quantity.

Parwoto also said that in the 1990s the kredit triguna -- a triple-purpose loan to buy land, construct a house and help generate income -- had been made available by the government. Such loans were aimed at empowering residents to direct their efforts toward a better future.

The loans were channeled to people living on riverbanks or in slum areas. They were encouraged to actively participate in improving their existing houses and surrounding environments. The government also provided technical assistance so that proper drainage and sanitation facilities could be installed.

"I was a researcher at the then Ministry of Housing and I witnessed the process in several cities," Parwoto said. "Some of the loans turned into bad-debts but most of them have been paid back."

Another community development approach was implemented in 2000 when Erna Witoelar was the minister of resettlement and regional infrastructure. She had visited a "self-empowered" housing area on Cipinang riverbank in Penas Halim, East Jakarta. The houses on the riverbank were mostly makeshift homes, the environment was unhealthy. There were no proper sanitation facilities nor a dump site for garbage.

However, over the years, with the assistance of a non- governmental organization, the community turned the area into a more pleasant living environment, with proper sanitation and a dump site. They also kept the riverbank as clean as possible and planted bamboo trees along the bank.

Erna even announced that the improvement was significant enough to make the houses the pilot project for a program called Cipinang Bening (Clear Cipinang). However, when she was replaced the program was halted.

Until now, the Jakarta Administration has done little to take up this cause.

People living on riverbanks, or on land belonging to the state or private sectors, have been evicted by public order officers. These evictions are a dark contrast to the community-based housing program whereby the administration provided technical assistance and loans to improve slum areas.

Parwoto said that community-based programs safeguarded against corruption, as the funds were directly handled by the people.

"It (community-based housing programs) are also low-cost compared to hiring developers to build housing complexes for poor people," he said. "The government will only need to pay a small fee to urban architects or consultants."

He said that community-based approaches were the key to alleviating poverty.

"Let the community decide how to use the loans, how to improve their houses and environment," he concluded.