Empower the poor for better homes

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.