'Just send the squatters home'

'Just send the squatters home'

World Population Day fell on July 11 but many observers say
little is being done to address population issues, including the
desperate existence of squatters worldwide. The Jakarta Post
asked residents their opinion of how the city administration
should deal with squatters.

Bobby, 24, is a student at a private university in East
Jakarta. A Jakarta native, he lives with his parents in Pasar
Minggu, South Jakarta:

The city administration should curb the influx of migrants by
beefing up sweeps at Jakarta's entrances points, such as the
intercity bus terminals and railway stations.

Jobless migrants should be sent home immediately before they
squat and establish settlements here.

For the existing squatters, the administration should pay for
their tickets home. If necessary the administration should use
stern measures to push squatters out of the city. Sometimes we
should ignore human rights.

However, at the same time, the central government should
accelerate economic decentralization. The government should help
create jobs in the villages.

Tasrif, 29, sells pirated VCDs on Jl. Sudirman in Central
Jakarta and lives with his wife and children in Depok. He came to
Jakarta from Padang, West Sumatra, five years ago:

The Jakarta administration should provide more low-cost
housing for the poor so they can improve their standard of
living.

Although I am a migrant myself, I think the number of
squatters in Jakarta is out of control. Jakarta should take
measures to stop migrants from coming to the city.

The city administration should pay close attention to places
where squatters are likely to establish settlements, like along
riverbanks and railways. Once one hut is erected on, say, a
riverbank, the administration must act quickly to move the
squatters out of the area.

It would be worse if the administration let them live there
for years and then moved them out by burning down their huts or
beating them.

--The Jakarta Post