Forced eviction issue to be raised at Habitat meeting
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are planning to bring up the issue of forced eviction at the forthcoming unofficial NGO Global Forum on Human Settlements -- Habitat II -- in Istanbul, Turkey.
Surya Mulandar, coordinator of the Indonesian NGOs Network for Habitat (INN-HABITAT), said that many people have been deprived of their right to housing through the wrongful practice of legal demolition.
"Other countries have problems related to illegal demolition. But in Indonesia, legal demolition has become a source of serious problems to many people," Surya told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The NGO Global Forum, scheduled to take place from May 30 to June 14, will convene in parallel with the official UN Conference on Human Settlement -- also called Habitat II -- from June 3-14.
Delegations to the conference plan to establish a global sustainable settlement system and discuss ways to provide sufficient housing for everyone.
Demolition of people's settlements in order to make way for development projects often leads to conflicts between residents and the authorities. Surya blamed the situation on the fact that many residents don't receive adequate compensation. In addition, authorities do not clearly explain regulations on demolition to them.
Dwiyanto Prihartono and Waskito Adiribowo of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), a member of the NGO coalition, said in a paper on demolition that the authorities often fail to consult the affected residents in determining the amount of compensation.
The practice is against Presidential Decree No.55/1993, the lawyers said in the paper, which is being used by the NGOs as a reference.
The decree stipulates that negotiation is essential in land acquisition and demolition. The amount of compensation should be set in during discussion involving the people who will have to give up their land and buildings.
Citing an example, the lawyers said that in 1994, the government set the compensation for land in Pinangsia, West Jakarta, at Rp 40,000 (approximately US$17 in today's currency) for each square meter of land, or less than one tenth of the market price. When the residents resisted eviction, the city administration asked the military to force the residents to leave.
The military is usually involved in forced evictions, according to the lawyers. They also said that the residents who refused to give up their land were treated as "criminals."
In some cases, the authorities set the compensation much lower than the market prices because the residents or the land tillers -- who are often unaware of the relevant laws -- could not show their land titles. The lawyers said that the authorities should consider not only the legal aspect, but also social aspects of eviction.
During the Habitat II conference, Istanbul will host around 25,000 participants from 185 countries who represent governments, NGOs and the private sector.
"The government will surely talk about this `good practice'. We will talk about this 'bad practice'," Surya said.
The presentation of legal demolitions and low compensation as bad practices would mean more than merely criticism, he said. The NGOs also want to offer solutions to the problems through their presentation.
Other issues scheduled for discussion by the Indonesian NGOs include spatial plans, pollution, housing and street children.
INN-HABITAT, involving 19 NGOs, was founded earlier this year to exchange information and work together to address the habitat issues and events.
The first World Human Settlements Conference, Habitat I, was held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. (sim)