Governor pledges housing for evictees
Governor pledges housing for evictees
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
For the first time since the launching of an eviction drive of
squatters last year, Governor Sutiyoso met with the victims of
his campaign on Sunday on the banks of Muara Angke river in North
Jakarta. During the meeting, he assured the evictees that they
would get low-cost apartments within a year.
"We have not decided yet if the apartments will be available
for rent or to buy, but we assure you that you will get one at an
affordable price," he told around 100 evicted fishermen at their
temporary shelter after the Idul Adha, or Day of Sacrifice
prayers.
The governor, who donated two bulls to be slaughtered for the
evictees, said the city administration planned to build 1,600
apartments for the evictees with the help of privately funded Tzu
Chi, a Taiwan-based Buddhist foundation.
A Guan, an official from the foundation, said there would be
540 apartments built in the first phase.
"The construction will cost Rp 40 billion (US$476,190)," he
said, adding that the foundation also had received donations from
many parties, but refused to give details.
The apartment complex will also have public facilities
including a school, hospital and a soccer field.
The planned construction of low-cost apartments in Muara Angke
is the second project of the foundation after Cinta Kasih, an
apartment complex with 1,100 apartments for people of the lower-
income bracket in East Cengkareng, West Jakarta. The apartment
complex also includes an elementary school and a junior high
school as well as a two-story community health center.
To live in the apartments in East Cengkareng, each family is
required to pay a monthly rent of Rp 90,000 (US$11) plus
utilities. The fee is charged to cover the cost garbage
collection, security services and maintenance of green spaces.
However, some of the fishermen were ambivalent about the
promised apartments as the governor said the apartments would be
provided only for holders of Jakarta ID cards.
"They can have the apartment if they obtain Jakarta ID cards,"
he said.
From around 1,000 evicted fishermen, only 300 of them have the
Jakarta ID cards.
"I hope the city officials will treat us equally. I also want
to stay in an apartment, although I don't have a Jakarta ID
card," said a fisherman, who still holds an Indramayu regency ID
card in West Java.
He claimed he had tried to obtain a Jakarta ID card but was
put off by the high fee demanded by officials at district
offices.
Another evictee said a person must pay between Rp 100,000 and
Rp 150,000 -- much higher than the official price of Rp 3,000 --
to officials to obtain a Jakarta ID card.
The North Jakarta municipal administration plans to build a
modern fishing port and industrial complex along the coastline in
the area while the low-cost apartments or residential zone will
occupy the southern part.
Both zones will be divided by a canal where the fishermen will
be able to moor their boats close to the apartments.
Sutiyoso praised the project, saying that it would transform
the slum into the most modern port and well-managed fishing
community in the country.
Therefore, he asked the evictees to "make sacrifices" and to
endure another year in temporary shelters until the construction
of the apartments is completed.