Kemayoran land dispute takes a new turn
Kemayoran land dispute takes a new turn
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of Kemayoran residents visited City Council yesterday to deny reports which said they have reached an agreement with the Kemayoran Area Development Board on a land appropriation dispute.
Head of the delegation, Rahardjo Darsoprayitno, told members of the council's Commission A, in charge of government affairs, that they visited the council to question why the councillors had attended a dialog with representatives of the board on Friday, because residents invited to the meeting did not include those involved in the dispute.
"We are here not to protest, but to question the reason the board attended the meeting, and to explain to the commission that the problem is not over yet," Rahardjo said.
Rahardjo explained that Friday's meeting was not the negotiation promised by the board with the commission because none of the residents involved in the dispute were invited.
The 50 residents attending the meeting, Rahardjo said, were those who are interested in buying low-cost apartments, to be built by the board in the Kemayoran district, Central Jakarta.
"So, it is obvious that there has never been any negotiations between the residents, whose land is to be appropriated, and the board," he said.
Last week, the Kemayoran board invited members of the commission, as well as reporters, to observe a meeting to end a dispute where residents were reported to have agreed to move into a low-cost apartment block in the area.
The Kemayoran Board claimed that the meeting was part of the negotiation process it had promised to the commission in their previous hearings.
"How could it be a negotiation if it did not include us, the residents, who are demanding higher compensation?," Rahardjo asked.
In response to the residents' information, M. Aman, chairman of Commission A, explained that the residents should not be affected by the results of the meeting because some of the Kemayoran residents did make an agreement with the board to settle the matter.
"Just continue your fight to get better compensation. You can file a law suit if the negotiations with the board fail to end the dispute," Aman said.
However, Rahardjo said that the residents do not want to settle the matter in court.
"We just want justice from a development in which common people like us should have a chance to enjoy the results of such a development program," he said, adding that he protested the board's action, which is feared to spark unrest among some residents.
Aman then assured the delegation that the commission will ask the Kemayoran board to set a date for the real negotiations.
"We will send an official letter if we have to and ask them to hold the negotiations in a neutral place, such as in this council's building," Aman said.
During the meeting, between Rahardjo and the councillors, about 300 other residents from the Gunung Sahari Selatan and Kebon Kosong subdistricts waited in the council's lobby.
The residents arrived in groups, and each time another group arrived at the building they would yell, "Merdeka! Hidup Kemayoran!" and "Merdeka harus sejahtera! (Freedom! Long live Kemayoran! and Independence must bring prosperity!)"
The gathering prompted a deployment of anti-riot police to be on alert outside the building, which is located near the U.S. embassy.
The delegation, claiming to represent about 5,000 residents, insisted that the board must hold negotiations with the residents to settle the compensation rate, which they consider to be too low. The residents are demanding that the compensation rate be set at Rp 2 million (US$909) per square-meter, as compared to the offer of only Rp 75,000 per square-meter. (yns/31)