Facing unskilled migrants

After every Idul Fitri holiday, the Jakarta administration is faced with an annual dilemma: the influx of unwanted migrants from poverty-stricken villages. These people journey far, alone or with relatives who are returning to the capital after celebrating the Islamic holiday with families, in their place of birth.

This annual tide of unskilled labor is driven by poor social and economic conditions in the provinces. This year extended drought, which damaged crops and delayed planting, has made conditions far worse than usual. In many areas food, and even drinking water, is in critically short supply. Current economic turmoil, rising prices and horrible uncertainty have compounded an already miserable situation.

It is no exaggeration to say that migration is a matter of life and death for many of the rural poor, among whom exists an unshakeable belief that a move to large, glamorous urban centers, like Jakarta, is the only hope for survival.

The annual influx of new migrants after Idul Fitri has become as traditional as the annual exodus from Jakarta several days earlier. A member of the City Council estimates that about 500,000 job-seekers will enter Jakarta this week, few with marketable skills. But those who alighted at the city's bus terminals found Jakarta less hospitable, if that is possible, than in previous years. They were promptly frog-marched back onto buses and sent packing.

In a time of crisis, this measure is beyond comprehension and will prove to be as unworkable as the recent appeal made by Governor Sutiyoso, requesting Jakartans to refrain from bring friends and relatives back from their villages.

We understand why the Jakarta administration views migrants as a problem. They are unlikely to find work in these difficult times and will eventually become a burden to the capital. Jakarta already struggles to accommodate its existing 10 million inhabitants.

Nevertheless, the administration should look into the social reality wisely. The problem can only cured by wiping out poverty, not the poor.

Our country has once again become poor. Faced with this calamity, care should be taken to offer a helping hand to the rural people who are facing starvation. Those who have, should open their doors to those who do not, like in wartime, when people shelter refugees.

Finally are glad to note that as of yesterday, the administration has stopped cracking down on newcomers. We hope that this policy change is not been taken for political considerations, such as next month's meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly, which will elect the national president, but for purely humanitarian reasons.

It is true that times are very difficult for urban dwellers, but they may not fully realize the difficulties faced by their rural cousins. But the time has come for people to see the real truth in poverty, empathize with the poor, and act accordingly.