Kebon Kacang residents worried about demolition
Kebon Kacang residents worried about demolition
JAKARTA (JP): "Where will we go when our house is demolished?
The amount of compensation will not be sufficient to find a place
in the city," Supri, a resident of the disputed area of Kebon
Kacang subdistrict, said on Saturday.
Supri's house was one of two houses partly demolished on May
29, but he had insisted on staying there. The demolition was
marked by a clash between security officers and residents, who
have not received any compensation.
The government wants to clear a two-hectare plot of land,
where 19 families had been living for years -- including Supri's
-- to make way for the construction of a hotel and an apartment
complex by PT Asia Troika.
The land, siting on a prime site in Central Jakarta, is the
last piece of land to be cleared. It is part of a total 14
hectares of land where the new buildings will be constructed.
A handyman, Supri used to share his two-story small house with
five other people. Supri, his wife and two little daughters now
share a 3-by-2.5 meter two-story makeshift shelter with three
other people.
"Poor children of mine. They were virtually soaked from Friday
night's rain," Supri told The Jakarta Post.
Only three of the 19 families hold land certificates. The rest
have only incomplete land documents, despite the fact that they
have been living there for more than 30 years.
The government appraised the land at the price of Rp 2,350,000
per square meter for uncertified land and Rp 2.6 million for
certified land. Residents claim that the current value of land in
the area is at least Rp 4 million per square meter.
According to Supri, the authorities should heed the residents'
grievances.
"With Rp 20 million, it is virtually impossible to find a
living place in the city," Supri said.
The recent UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul,
Turkey, has called on governments to uphold people's right to
adequate housing and stop evictions.
Representatives from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute told the
Conference that the Indonesian government often fails to
negotiate compensation money with residents affected by
demolition.
According to the lawyers, this practice is against
Presidential Decree No. 55/1993, which stipulates that
negotiation is essential in land acquisition and demolition.
The amount of compensation should be set during discussions
involving the people who will have to give up their land and
buildings.
Budi Santosa, head of the Kebon Kacang neighborhood community,
said he learned that the Central Jakarta mayoralty office was
holding a demolition squad meeting in preparation for a
demolition scheduled for today.
Budi told the Post that he was caught in a dilemma.
"If I tell them the news, some people will think that I wished
to instigate social unrest. On the other hand, residents
continuously ask me for advice about what to do."
The Central Jakarta Mayor, Abdul Kahfi, told reporters over
the weekend that the demolition will continue, and that it is
just a matter of choosing the right time. (14)