Evicted residents in rally seek compensation
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hundreds of people from West Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta visited the city council on Monday, demanding the city administration to reconsider an eviction order from the houses and land they have been squatting upon.
The residents' leader Priono claimed the people had been living on the 20-hectare piece of land for dozens of years and most of them had identification cards.
"Many of our houses have telephone and electricity connections and we are customers of city-owned tap water firm PAM Jaya. How come we are categorized as illegal residents?" Priono asked during a meeting with the council's commission A for legal and administrative affairs.
He said the land was occupied by about 290 families who were now living on a nearby riverbank since the forced eviction began last Thursday.
The residents clashed with dozens of city public order officers and police officers trying to carry out their duties on the land owned by a private developer, PT Sari Kebon Jeruk Permai.
A number of residents were injured when police shot them with rubber bullets as they resisted. The land is set to be used build a new shopping mall.
Another resident, Heri, who has been living in the area since the 1970s admitted that they had no ownership certificate of the land, and she believed the land belonged to the state and was hoping for a cash reward.
"But other residents in other parts of the area who were evicted in 1989 and last year got compensation from the city administration. But now, we have not been offered compensation," Heri complained.
Without mentioning the amount of payment they wanted, he said the residents demanded that the administration give them money according to the market value of the taxable property (NJOP) on which they were squatting.
The land, which used to be a swampy area, like most of Jakarta before the Dutch developed it and introduced water management, was reportedly developed in 1950 by local people. Most of the residents are simple street vendors, drivers and construction workers.
Commission A deputy chairman Syarifien Maloko who met the crowd of evictees on Monday, telephoned North Jakarta Mayor Subagyo to ask him to temporarily stop the eviction.
"Pak Subagyo has promised me to temporarily stop the eviction until it was discussed further with the residents," Syarifien of the Crescent and Star Party (PBB) told the residents.
He said it was unfortunate that the administration had forcibly evicted them and injured some.
Syarifien and other councillors will fulfill the residents' demand to inspect the location on Tuesday.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's policy on slum dwellers and squatters has been repeatedly criticized for its "militaristic approach and violence, such as forced eviction".
Sutiyoso, who was recently reelected for his second term in September, started his eviction policy two weeks ago in Pulogadung bus terminal, where about a thousand undocumented street vendors were forcibly evicted.
A few days after his inauguration as a governor, the former Jakarta military commander announced that the administration would expel undocumented migrants (those from other parts of the country, mostly rural Java) from the metropolis.