No more evictions, please

Our sense of justice was moved by the recent, forcible demolition of hundreds of houses belonging to squatters in Kampung Baru, Cengkareng, and Kampung Sawah, both in West Jakarta.

Hysteria and anger among the owners of the illegal buildings and the arrogance of the officers in charge of the demolition led to some shocking incidents and bloody scuffles. Several people were injured in the clashes.

Who is to blame? This short question needs a long answer as it involves people living at a subsistence level, and the inconsistent policies of the administration.

People with the least bit of common sense may wonder why the authorities had not taken action in the early stages, when only a few people started to build shacks on the vacant land.

It has long been known that local administrations tend to exploit squatters, many of whom are aware of their illegal status.

If they are left alone, the number of squatters grows in step with the services they get from the local administration, from subdistrict to municipality level. The new community gains recognition after neighborhood chiefs are elected, who in turn recommend the squatters for ID cards.

Electricity and telephone lines are then made available to the families, who pay their property tax annually.

Soon after the forcible evictions in Kampung Baru and Kampung Sawah, some squatters said they had paid millions of rupiah to certain people claiming to be from the administration, who guaranteed the squatters that eviction would be unlikely.

All this happened in the New Order era, when squatter communities were allowed to live on land belonging to the state or the city administration because the squatters promised to vote for a particular political party in the election.

But squatters pose a very serious problem to society after the real owners of the land reclaim their property and ask the authorities to clear plots of illegal occupants. At this point, the officials who have helped the squatters to settle wash their hands of any wrongdoing and order their subordinates to evict the "illegal citizens."

After attending the 18th World Habitat Day commemoration in Denpasar, Bali, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Thursday that local administrations must be fair in treating squatters so as not to allow the problem to lead to rioting. She also said she regretted that councillors had given the nod to the forcible evictions.

It is obvious from all this that the administration has no integrated program or plan to deal with migrants. The administration and the City Council should have sat together with the representatives of the "illegal residents" and all the relevant parties involved in a bid to draw up appropriate policies for the migrants.

Decision makers in Jakarta should be aware that this capital city is a magnet for people from other areas of the country. In fact, it is an example that applies to all of the world's large urban centers.

Thousands of people from towns and villages throughout the archipelago move to Jakarta annually for reasons of economic necessity. Many fail to land a well-paid job and many others return to their hometowns, but most try to survive in Jakarta in whatever way possible.

The annual influx of migrants from other areas of the country has for decades been a headache for the Jakarta administration. Policies to deal with urbanization have been drawn up, but none has so far been fruitful. Former governor Ali Sadikin tried to close Jakarta to people who had no job or guaranteed place to live. The move failed.

The current governor, Sutiyoso, once tried to revive Ali Sadikin's idea. The unpopular move also did not work. As development in other regions -- in line with regional autonomy -- has yet to prove successful, urbanization continues relentlessly.

The recent action against squatters is just a reflection of the lack of an integrated approach to deal with migration. Demolishing squatter dwellings and evicting families from their illegal homes won't solve the core problem. Prudent and responsible action must be taken by the city administration. As job opportunities in the capital are also very rare, the administration should at least provide either money or free transportation to the migrants so that they can return to their hometowns.

Once governors are installed, they must be aware of burdensome jobs that need tough, but humane handling. Therefore, a clear vision and mission, including a grand program to deal with the city's problems, including the handling of migrants, is essential. The governor should also be able to clearly communicate all the programs to the city's residents.

Squatting is illegal, but the 1945 Constitution guarantees that all citizens are entitled to work and are free to live in any part of the country. Article 34 of the Constitution clearly says that the state cares for the poor.

While providing jobs and housing for the poor remains a dream for the state, a civilized and humane approach is appropriate.

The recent, forcible evictions indicate poor communication between the administration and residents. The evictions also reflect the authorities' frustration and lack of knowledge to manage this teeming capital city. Forcible eviction is, after all, a violation of the basic human rights of citizens and should be avoided.