Former governors want capital closed to migrants
JAKARTA (JP): Former Jakarta governors Ali Sadikin and Wiyogo Atmodarminto have thrown their weight behind current Governor Surjadi Soedirdja's untiring efforts to impede the pace of urbanization.
Both Ali Sadikin and Wiyogo Atmodarminto said at the celebration of Jakarta's 467th Anniversary at city hall yesterday that the current administration should declare the city closed to new migrants unless they meet certain requirements.
The requirements include having an occupation and a residence, they said.
Ali Sadikin, now more well known as the most outspoken member of Petisi 50, which groups former officials and public figures critical of the government, held office between 1966-1977 and Wiyogo from 1987 through 1992.
"During my tenure, I closed Jakarta to new migrants. People protested. But now they can see the truth of what I decided," said Bang Ali, as he was affectionately called during his tenure as governor.
Ali said aside from imposing strict requirements on migrants who applied for Jakarta citizenship, he always adopted harsh measures against illegal inhabitants to make them feel insecure here.
"Anytime I called for the demolition of a building, I always invited newspaper reporters to cover the event so that people would feel discouraged and reluctant to try there luck here. I never made any compromises," said Ali.
According to Ali, the strict measures paid off, reducing the migration rate to four percent from 6.4 percent before his term.
Governor Surjadi had earlier said he ordered his staff, especially the lurah (chief of subdistrict), to keep new migrants from settling on state land before they become too great a burden.
Ali, however, slightly criticized Surjadi's administration for its "reluctance" to take stricter measures against new migrants.
Without directly referring to Surjadi, it seems to him that the Jakarta administration is somewhat "worried" about the reaction of the press should it take rather high-handed policies regarding problems related to squatters.
"The press has so far sided with the wrong-doers, i.e. people who occupy land which belongs not to them but to the state. The press call it inhumane for the officials to eject them from the land. To me, let's first talk about right," said Ali.
Wiyogo, in a milder tone, supported the idea of closing the city to new migrants sometime in the near future.
"It is not inhumane. Because through the measure we want to save the residents of Jakarta from being thirsty or having no place. You know there is already limited space and natural resources here," said Wiyogo.
Records show some 8.5 million registered citizens of Jakarta, and another one to two million come everyday from nearby townships like Depok, Bekasi and Tangerang to work.
Jabotabek
The two former governors agreed, however, that the efforts of the Jakarta administration to curb migration are doomed to failure unless the central administration develops other regions as well.
"If development efforts continue to be focused on Jakarta, the migration could not be solved," said Wiyogo.
Ali said he was especially concerned over allegations that the so-called BKSP Jabotabek, a body molded to coordinate development programs among Jakarta and its satellite towns, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, does not function properly.
According to Ali, the body, which was formed during Ali's administration, was supposed to solve many population-related problems faced by the city.
"However, the central administration does not support it. It is undeniable that Jakarta and the towns are inseparable. There should been a master plan for the whole Jabotabek area. Now the towns and Jakarta build their own real estate their own way. What will happen if the greater Jakarta area is developed the wrong way?" said Ali. (jsk)