Karet Tengsin fire victims mostly voted for PPP

Karet Tengsin fire victims mostly voted for PPP

JAKARTA (JP): Residents from razed slum houses in Karet
Tengsin subdistrict, Tanah Abang, in Central Jakarta, mostly
voted for the United Development Party (PPP), a resident said.

Ismet, the secretary of the RW 05 neighborhood and also a
participant of the ruling Golkar party, said out of six polling
stations in the area, PPP won big at all five stations by at
least 50 votes over Golkar.

"People question the government's sincerity in helping
rebuild the neighborhood," he said. "If they vote Golkar, will it
make any difference for the community here?"

Ismet also admitted he had been a Golkar member since 1971,
but many people in the neighborhood were PPP supporters.

Danil Dahlan, RW 05 head, said many community chiefs expected
residents to vote for Golkar because Golkar might provide low-
cost apartments. But polling results proved otherwise.

Ismet said the people had decided to rebuild their homes and
would not wait for the government's offer of providing
apartments.

"The promise is still vague. We want to live in houses and
this is where we've settled," he said.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said the victims were allowed to
rebuild their homes for a temporary period, because in the long
run the city planned to build apartments for the residents. But
the governor also stated the city did not have funds yet.

Ismet said residents had asked construction material stores to
sell them lumber on credit, saying that they would pay for it
after occupying their houses.

"Without government subsidies, I bought lumber for Rp 5
million (US$2,040) from a material store, which I will pay back
later," Ismet said adding that neighbors had done likewise.

Danil said Central Jakarta mayoralty had donated Rp 2.5
million, Golkar's Karet Tengsin branch donated Rp 2 million, and
PPP (United Development Party) and the Indonesian Democratic
Party donated used clothes, rice and snacks.

"We spend Rp 1 million a day on food to feed at least 700
people," Danil said. An official from the Indonesian Red Cross
(PMI) said daily expenses included 400 kilograms of rice and 250
kilograms of vegetables.

On May 19, more than 1,500 people -- mostly vendors and blue
collar workers -- became homeless when a fire ravaged 275 slum
homes in seven neighborhoods of RW 05 along the polluted Krukut
River.

The city's Indonesian Red Cross had set up three big tents and
a temporary communal kitchen. Also, the state-owned water company
had provided a 4,000-liter water tank for daily water consumption
and the city's cleaning service had picked up the trash, Edward
Bachtiar said.

Today is the last day for the fire victims to get public
assistance. Some of them have started moving into their new
homes, even though some homes are still under construction. (10)