Mayor criticized over his remarks on scavengers
Mayor criticized over his remarks on scavengers
JAKARTA (JP): City councilors yesterday strongly criticized
West Jakarta Mayor Sutardjianto for his derogatory remarks over
the presence of scavengers in his territory.
"An administrator like him is by no means expected to express
such words," said Muhammad Rodja from the PPP (United Development
Party) faction at the City Council.
Mayor Sutardjianto told reporters Thursday that he would like
to see landless scavengers move out from his territory, either to
transmigration sites or back to their hometowns.
The mayor made the statement when he was asked by reporters
about the recent arson allegedly committed by the municipal
guards against the property of 215 scavenger families who had
settled near the garbage dump in Srengseng Sawah subdistrict,
Kembangan district, West Jakarta.
The May 27 incident saw 215 makeshift houses and 170 tons of
plastic waste previously collected by the scavengers burned to
ashes.
The mayor denied that an arsonist was behind the incident,
saying the guards were instructed by Kembangan district chief
Sadoni to demolish the scavengers' makeshift homes because they
had illegally settled on the state land which was earmarked to be
left a green area.
The mayor said that although the order came from the Kembangan
district chief, he would take responsibility for the what took
place.
"If they (the scavengers) don't own any land here, they'd
better get off my turf," Sutardjianto warned.
Soeharto
Rodja noted, however, that President Soeharto himself had once
admitted that scavengers are beneficial to the environment
because they help the city administration recycle waste.
Rodja said Sutardjianto's remarks run counter to the
government's basic constitutional obligation to care for orphans
and the poor.
"Above all, if it is true that the guards burned the
scavengers' huts, they can be charged with a crime. The mayoralty
has damaged the property of others. I urge the scavengers to
report the case to the police," said Rodja.
Rodja added his faction would soon hand a petition to Governor
Surjadi Soedirdja asking him to investigate the mayor and, if
necessary, fire him.
Nero
"I really wonder if the mayor intended to imitate (King) Nero
(of Rome) when he burned down the city of Rome," wondered Rodja.
Djenny Harso and Romulus Sihombing of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) faction at the council also expressed
their concern over the mayor's statement and the alleged arson.
"Our faction highly deplores the event (arson). It was
inhumane," said Djenny.
Romulus questioned the mayor's right to order the scavengers
to leave.
"I wonder what is the basis behind his idea. The city is open
to everyone in the country. They have left their hometowns
because of poverty and want to make a better life here," said
Romulus.
Like Rodja, Romulus noted the president himself has deemed the
works of scavengers s beneficial in environmental terms, hailing
them as "laskar mandiri" (self-sufficient units).
Atje Mulyadi, chief of Golkar's faction at the council, seemed
restrained in his comments.
"I don't think the mayor made the statement intentionally. He
may just want to upgrade their lives so that they don't live in
slum areas any longer. As for the arson, we should examine if the
news is true," said Atje. (jsk)