'Lack of money means no house'
The city administration continues to conduct forced evictions of squatters across the city. On Thursday, the West Jakarta administration evicted hundreds of people living in Kampung Sawah, Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta. Affordable housing is a major issue among people in the low-income bracket. Finding an affordable yet descent house is difficult. The Jakarta Post talked with some people on the issue.
Anto, 42, works for a retail company in West Jakarta. He lives in Tangerang with his wife and son:
It's a dilemma when it comes to housing as financial constraints are the main problem. I can't afford to buy a house in the city.
An affordable house would be a very small one or, if I'm unlucky, I may even be evicted.
I had a bad experience when trying to buy a house in Tangerang as someone else also claimed ownership of the house.
Since then, I have learned to be more cautious and sensible. I reckon that the real estate business is very lucrative but also subject to irregularities. However, I have bought a house now and I hope that I won't have any (legal) problems.
Ignas, 32, is an employee with a private finance company in South Jakarta. He lives in Kalimalang, East Jakarta, with his wife and two children:
A lack of capital is the biggest problem in buying an affordable house in the city. It's impossible to buy a decent house as land prices have skyrocketed in Jakarta.
Even if we can afford to buy a house in the city, we must also consider the surrounding environment.
I have to learn from the thousands of commuters who travel a long way to work every day. Long distances and risky transportation doesn't bother them.
That's why I decided to get a house on the outskirts of Jakarta. It's close to the church and my children's school despite the bad traffic jams that I must face.
Bera, 65, is a retired civil servant who lives in Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, with his wife and four children:
I've been living in my own house for years. When former president Soeharto was in power, I heard rumors that people in residential areas would be evicted because Mal Taman Anggrek would be enlarged. It's a relief that the New Order regime fell.
I hope the governor will also drop the plan. Otherwise, we will live in fear all the time.
I bought a new house in Binong, Tangerang, in case we are forced to leave our house here. Someday, when I'm old, I will move there with my family. It's far from the hustle and bustle.
-- Leo Wahyudi S.