No more evictions, please

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.