Kalideres big family protests at City Council

JAKARTA (JP): More than 150 members of a family living together in Kalideres, West Jakarta, went to the City Council yesterday to ask for help in the settlement of their land dispute with state oil company Pertamina.

A lawyer representing the group, Djudjung Panjaitan, said they were the legal owners of the 1.3-hectare plot where they were currently living.

Pertamina claims the plot is part of a 20.5-hectare site it bought, reportedly from developer PT Susam, in 1991.

"In fact the 1.3-hectare plot of land belongs to the residents. They never sold their property to any developer," Panjaitan said.

Haji Bentong's family were refusing to move away from their land, he said. If Pertamina wanted to buy the land, the company should buy it directly from them, at the market price of Rp 1 million (US$392) per square meter, he said.

Before any settlement was reached, a big Betawi-styled house belonging to the family was torn down by West Jakarta Mayoralty officers last Wednesday on a request from Pertamina.

One of the land appropriation employees of PT Susam, M. Nurjaya, however confirmed that Pertamina's land did not cover the residents' land on Jl. Peta Selatan.

Part of Pertamina's land had been sold by the oil company's own officials and was developed into a housing complex, shops and school buildings, Panjaitan said.

The family members who went to the City Council yesterday, ranging in age from under five to over 70, admitted they had lost their land ownership certificates following an incident with the late Kalideres subdistrict head, Gani, Panjaitan said.

Gani wanted to sell the family's land to PT Sirinco Jaya Marmer Industry in 1979, the lawyer said.

Sirinco, however, changed its mind after learning that the documents had been obtained illegally.

"Since then the residents have never had the certificates. But their ownership could be proved if they were allowed to do research ... at the National Land Agency," Panjaitan said.

The family met with MU. Fatommy Asaari of the Golkar faction, Lukman Mokoginta of the Indonesian Democratic Party faction and Ahmad Suaedi of the United Development Party faction.

The councillors promised to discuss the problem in council meetings with related parties.

Wednesday's demolition, conducted with assistance from police and military personnel, followed a refusal by the family to vacant the property.

At least four people were injured when the officers forced them to move.

The head of the family, Haji Bentong, said that parts of the house used to be rented by nine other families, while the remaining space was occupied by his relatives.

But the nine families moved after the mayoralty paid them. "More than 150 members of our big family then moved into the house," he said.

Abdul Salam, 34, one of the wounded residents, said he was beaten and dragged to the nearby Kalideres police subprecinct.

"We asked the City Police chief and the Jakarta Military commander to punish their arrogant officers," Salam, who wore a T-shirt stained with blood, said.

Twelve residents of Jl. Tanggul Jaya, Penjaringan, in North Jakarta, also went to the City Council yesterday, demanding the North Jakarta Mayoralty postpone evicting them from their homes built on the Cisadane riverbank for one year.

The residents' spokesman, Sunarno, said that at least 1,600 families, or more than 5,000 people, lived on the three-kilometer riverbank.

"We knew that the land was not ours. But give us enough time to make preparations to move," he said.

He said the North Jakarta Mayoralty planned to clear their makeshift houses next week.

Sunarno said the mayoralty also said that the residents would be paid Rp 50,000 (US$19.2) a house. "It's not enough for us," he said.

The residents were received by several coucillors, led by Saamin from the Golkar faction.

Saamin promised to discuss the problem with related parties in council meetings. (jun/07)