Former governors want capital closed to migrants
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)