'It's not easy to find work in Jakarta'

'It's not easy to find work in Jakarta'

The Jakarta administration on Monday will start checking people
returning home after Idul Fitri holidays. Those caught without
Jakarta identity cards, permanent jobs or residence in the city,
will be sent back home. The Jakarta Post asked some residents
about their opinion on the policy.

Basri, 32, is a minivan driver. He rents a house in Kebayoran
Lama, but often returns to his home in Parung, Bogor:

I agree with the policy to close Jakarta to unskilled people.
Everyone knows it's not easy to find jobs here if you don't have
the skills.

As the number of jobless migrants here is already high, more
coming would only cause more problems.

We can see that there are already too many beggars, homeless
people and street children in our neighborhoods. If there is no
effort to curb the migration of unskilled people, more and more
will come.

What's worse, crime is also increasing. As a minivan driver, I
have to pay a lot of money to many thugs at the bus terminals.
Police cannot do anything to stop them.

Haryanto, 40, is a civil servant for South Jakarta city. He
lives with his wife and three children in Jagakarsa, South
Jakarta:

How can the administration prohibit people from entering the
capital? Any efforts won't be effective because it is highly
unlikely that officials from the city population agency will be
able to conduct continuous raids against migrants. This would be
too costly.

The unskilled migrants will add to the city's problems, as
they will illegally occupy idle land or riverbanks, build
makeshift houses and work as street vendors, blocking sidewalks
and roads and causing traffic congestion.

It is a tough job to make those people realize that Jakarta
cannot provide them with the kind of living they are looking for.

--The Jakarta Post