Former Kemayoran residents left in limbo
Former Kemayoran residents left in limbo
JAKARTA (JP): Former Kemayoran district residents who were
displaced for a controversial development project are asking
councilors to force the developer to realize its plan and pay
higher compensation, or give them their land back.
About 40,000 people have been affected for development of a
new satellite city on 454 hectares of the former Kemayoran
airport in Central Jakarta. But about 20,000 residents remain on
the site and only a few buildings of the planned city have been
constructed since its inception in 1990.
In a meeting with councilors Tuesday, about 60 representatives
of the group also demanded the city administration review the
Kota Baru Bandar Kemayoran project plan.
Group spokesman Rahardjo said the residents were often
terrorized by people identifying themselves as members of a land
clearance board for the project.
They often used the names of former president Soeharto and
former state secretary Moerdiono in threatening the residents.
"They always use those names to scare us. They have tried to
drive us off the land since 1990, using all manner of coercion
and political approaches," he told members of Commission A for
administration, security, land and government affairs.
The project is controlled by the State Secretary, in which
Moerdiono was appointed the first chairman of a special body in
his then ministerial capacity.
The body supervises the land clearance board and a consortium,
PT Megacity Development Corporation, whose members consist of
privately run Gajah Tunggal Group, Napan Group and Amcol Group.
Residents claim the project would not be limited to the
airport site, but also cover an area occupied by about 62,000
families who have resided there for many years.
"So far, only 20,000 families remain at the site," Rahardjo
said.
Land clearance board members turned down the residents' wishes
to discuss a reasonable amount of compensation.
"They merely kept on launching their campaigns to let us know
that the state project would be started in early 1990," Rahardjo
said.
"They never bargained with us about the price but suddenly
issued the price estimation notice in 1991."
The body then priced the land occupied by the residents at
what the latter considered the very low amount of Rp 75,000
(US$5.35) per square meter.
"Even the state-owned port management company PT Pelindo,
which at that time also cleared some lands near to ours, set the
compensation for the local residents at Rp 1,2 million per square
meter." lurch
Status
Rahardjo said there had been no construction work on the
project since it began eight years ago, and families now wanted
to know its status.
"We've been living in uncertainty throughout the years.
"If the developer plans to continue the project, then please
set new land compensation for us. If it doesn't, then let us live
there."
Several highrise apartment buildings have been built at the
site, but the project's master plan -- which has been estimated
to cost Rp 5 trillion -- also included construction of more
apartments, public facilities like sports halls, places of
worship, hospitals, schools and shopping centers.
Commission A head Hotma Tambunan said the commission's hands
were tied on the issue of reviewing the project because it was
not under its jurisdiction.
"It's actually made by the central government. I can't say
anything about it. We just don't know whether the government will
proceed with the plan," he said.
"It's not that we have taken sides with the board, but the
project will have some public facilities, including low-cost
apartments, which will be useful for public."
The councilor promised to discuss the compensation
disagreement with the land clearance board. (cst)