'Jakarta is promised land for migrants'

'Jakarta is promised land for migrants'

Jakarta with a total area of 650 square kilometers has a
population density of about 13,000 people per square kilometer.
In an effort to control Jakarta's burgeoning population, Governor
Sutiyoso plans to close the city to migrants. The Jakarta Post
sought the response of city residents to the plan:

Naman, 58, is a neighborhood unit chief in Petamburan, Central
Jakarta. The native Jakartan is the father of four children:

If this is true, I disagree with the regulation planned by the
governor. The city doesn't only belong to native Jakartans.

There is no guarantee that the absence of migrants will
improve the city and make it more developed.

I believe that the country's independence was for all members
of the nation regardless of their origin or ethnicity.

I know that migrants or workers come to Jakarta to seek work
because the regional autonomy has not provided well for rural
residents. Due to the uneven distribution of wealth in the
provinces, it's natural that many people wish to try their luck
in the city.

However, I guess it would be better to discipline them,
instead of banning the migrants, by requiring them to bring the
appropriate identification and to report to the neighborhood unit
chief so as to avoid any inconvenience.

Agus, 21, is a street musician in Semper, North Jakarta. He is
a native Jakartan:

Honestly, I don't feel bothered by the city administration's
plan to close the city to migrants. If I may say so, I don't care
about it.

Thinking about this regulation drives me crazy and wastes my
energy. It's better for me to try to make money as a busker on
public buses. I can earn some Rp 35,000 a day if I'm lucky.

I spend most of my life on the street. My principle is that
everybody should have the freedom to live and survive.

As long as they don't bother me, I would not bother them. If
they respect me, I will appreciate them. The same applies to the
migrants; we can make friends if they are nice.

In spite of being a native Jakartan, I realize that most
migrants that come to Jakarta are looking for money. We treat
them as our brothers and sisters as long as they behave well.

Purwoko, 33, works as a vendor selling fried snacks in Grogol,
West Jakarta. He came from Sukoharjo, Central Java 15 years ago.
He resides in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta with his wife and son:

I think the (planned) regulation is almost impossible to
implement. If the government imposes the regulation, I'm afraid
it would provoke rebellion among people of lower income in the
city.

The city administration should understand that Jakarta is seen
as the promised land for every migrant. They come here to do
something to seek a livelihood. So, it seems ridiculous that the
administration would make such a policy.

Besides, I think it's quite normal for people who have
successfully established themselves here to bring some of their
relatives to the city. I don't have the heart to leave them
jobless in my village.

But, I realize that the policy (to curb migration) might
reduce street crime as the unemployment rate would decline with a
lower population.

Sahrul, 58, is a street vendor who sells denim clothes in
Jatinegara, East Jakarta. He resides in Cibubur, East Jakarta
with his wife and four children. Sahrul is from West Sumatra:

I completely disagree with the planned policy. It's totally
unrealistic. It is not the proper solution to curb population
growth in the city.

I'm not well-educated but we have to look at how regional
autonomy is working in the rural areas. How much of the
provincial revenue is allotted to support rural development? It's
far too little.

So, it's quite natural then for people to come to the capital
to earn money to survive.

I myself came here 40 years ago, not to become rich. I work as
a vendor just for our daily meals, to rent our house and pay
school fees for our children. In this light, is it wrong for us
to be here?

--Leo Wahyudi S