Job seekers flood Jakarta after break
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Pipit Subakir, 40, holds his two children tightly by the hand while his wife, Tuti, 35, and his brother-in-law, Sofyan, 19, follow behind as the family walk out of the Senen railway station in Central Jakarta on Friday.
"I brought Sofyan to Jakarta because he has had nothing to do back there in our village in Kendal, Central Java after he graduated from senior high school several months ago. I want him to help me sell vegetables here," Pipit told The Jakarta Post.
He said that he and his wife had been earning a good profit selling vegetables door to door in a pushcart around Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta for the last five years.
"I think Sofyan will be able to have his own cart after helping me push the cart for a year. Meanwhile, he can live with us in our rented room in Pasar Minggu," said Pipit.
Like Sofyan, thousands of other newcomers can freely enter Jakarta through several entrance points in the city as no one is monitoring their arrival at bus and railway stations.
"It is impossible to check whether they are newcomers or old- timers upon their arrival. We simply let them walk out of the station without restriction as checking them would be time consuming," Kosim, an employee at Senen railway station told the Post.
He said that the number of people arriving at the station on the third and fourth day after Idul Fitri had reached 40,000, or a 60 percent jump, with only 25,000 passengers more expected to arrive.
To improve services for holidaymakers, the railway station is only serving people who are returning from their hometowns in Central and East Java after celebrating Idul Fitri, which was on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15. Regular city train services have been temporarily suspended.
Similar figures were also seen at Pulo Gadung bus terminal. Officials recorded 150,000 arrivals at the terminal since Tuesday while the number of people leaving Jakarta during the last four days before Idul Fitri, which were the peak of exodus, reached only 71,000.
"We are still expecting the peak of the influx tonight or tomorrow," said Muhammad Said, an employee at the bus terminal.
It seemed that the recent warning of Governor Sutiyoso to strictly apply the new bylaw as well as the plan of the City Population and Civil Registration Agency to launch identity checks in enclaves for unskilled workers did not deter people from other regions from coming to Jakarta.
According to the new bylaw, residents must possess a Jakarta identity card or documents showing that they have a permanent job and residence here. If they are unable to produce these documents, they face a Rp 5 million (US$555) fine.
Pipit, however, played down the warning, saying that nobody in his family had a Jakarta identity card and no one in his neighborhood ever made a fuss about it as long as he submitted the copy of his village identity card to the neighborhood chief.
"No subdistrict officials have come to check our status during our stay here. So, why should I worry about bringing my relatives here. Besides, I can make an identity card in three days for Rp 150,000," Pipit said.
Number of people entering and exiting Pulo Gadung bus terminal and Senen railway station
Pulo Gadung bus station Senen railway station
Days Exodus Days Influx Days Exodus Days Influx
H-4 18,957 H+1 14,938 H-4 12,102 H+4 25,200
H-3 27,186 H+2 25,964 H-3 13,003 H+3 15,302
H-2 25,914 H+3 48,738 Total 24,105 40,502
H-1 18,261 H+4 60,122
Total 90,318 149,762
Sources: Pulo Gadung and Senen station offices