'Give the migrants some skills'

'Give the migrants some skills'

Starting next week the Jakarta administration will launch a
crackdown on unskilled migrant workers coming to the city, a move
which critics say is a violation of their constitutional right to
freedom of movement. The Jakarta Post asked some residents about
their opinions of the move.

Astrid Kusumaningrat, 34, works at a shipping company in South
Jakarta. She lives in Depok:

I think the city administration has done the right thing by
trying to prevent unskilled migrants from staying in Jakarta.

But I think that the administration should provide some sort
of training for the migrants before making them leave so they
would not go back to their regions in the same condition as when
they left.

With the skills they gained from the training, perhaps they
could start something useful in their own areas, and even open up
new job opportunities for others.

This would help prevent new migrants from coming to Jakarta,
and help generate money for their home regions.

Anna Mauliasari, 26, works at shipping company P&O Nedlloyd on
Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta. She lives in the Setia Budi area in
South Jakarta:

I really don't think that raiding and evicting unskilled
migrants will be effective, considering they're in Jakarta
already. Just take a look at sidewalk vendors, they can run away
and hide during the raids then come back when it's "safe".

What the Jakarta administration could do is to inform the
public through the media about the difficult life unskilled
migrants often face in the capital. Hopefully those already
living in Jakarta would think twice about bringing in more
unskilled workers, the same would apply to the migrants
themselves.

If this doesn't work, I guess raids would be needed, but they
would be more effective if conducted in places where people
travel to and from their hometowns, meaning the city
administration would have to cooperate with other regional
administrations.

-- The Jakarta Post