Evictees seek help from City Council

Bambang Nurbianto and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some 200 victims of evictions from Tanjung Duren Selatan subdistrict, West Jakarta, staged a demonstration in front of the City Council to demand that the council participate actively in seeking a peaceful solution to their problems.

The residents became homeless after their houses were demolished on Sept. 17 by city authorities. The demonstrators urged councillors to force executives to provide temporary shelter for the evictees.

"Because they (councillors) are our representatives in the City Council, we ask them to pay serious attention to our problem. Their presence in the City Council is useless if they ignore our aspirations," said Togar, a demonstrator.

During the demonstration, the evictees were accompanied by labor activist Muhtar Pakpahan, who was appointed their legal advisor in bringing the case to court.

Muhtar and several representatives of the demonstrators were received by the chairman of City Council Commission A for administrative and legal affairs, Pantas Nainggolan, and his deputy Posman Siahaan.

Some demonstrators expressed their disappointment with the commission when they were informed by Muhtar that the councillors could do nothing to help them.

Muhtar told the demonstrators that the City Council would send letters to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to seek a peaceful solution.

"That is no answer, if that is all they can do, as we can write letters to the ministry and Komnas HAM ourselves. What we want now is shelter for our families," said Tiar, a 40-year-old woman who joined the demonstration.

Muhtar said in a statement that the eviction carried out by the West Jakarta municipality was a violation of the law and basic human rights, as it was conducted through violent means and caused hundreds of people to suffer in becoming homeless.

Muhtar also accused West Jakarta mayor Sarimun Hadisaputra of making a false statement in saying that the Tandjung Duren Selatan eviction was executed by order of the West Jakarta District Court.

"The head of the West Jakarta District Court never issued any letter ordering the West Jakarta municipality to demolish houses on the land," he said.

On the same day in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, a number of officials from the National Commission for Children's Protection (Komnas PA) visited a riverbank, where hundreds of evicted families are now living aboard their fishing boats after their huts were recently demolished by public order officers.

Seto Mulyadi, Komnas PA chairman, distracted dozens of children from their woes with a magic show. The children looked delighted with Kak Seto, as he is affectionately called, who entertained them with sleight of hand.

"Komnas PA is here to keep up the evicted children's spirits and encourage them to continue going to school, despite the hardships they must endure," he said.

Indeed, the situation the children must face is tough.

Pipit, 11, read out a poem she wrote in front of friends and Komnas PA activists, which describes how the children sleep, with only the mosquitoes and night winds for company, because they are homeless.

However, Pipit and several other children left for school as usual on Wednesday morning -- but they were not wearing their uniforms, which were destroyed along with their homes.

"I do my homework here," she said, indicating the small prayer room that was left intact during the eviction. "But sometimes I do homework on my boat."