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)