Planned reclamation worries the poor

Sidiq, 50, has been renting a small boat to tourists at Muara Baru Bay in North Jakarta for about 20 years. He is happy with his job, through which he earns enough to support himself, his wife and their two children.

Sidiq's boat is hired by tourists who want to visit the Thousand Islands. A round trip costs about Rp 400,000 and he usually takes one or two groups of tourists a week.

His rental boat business also has allowed Sidiq, who left his hometown in South Sulawesi in 1962, to build a modest house on Jl. Muara Baru Ujung in Penjaringan subdistrict, North Jakarta, on a 135-square-meter plot of land.

Sidiq is just one of thousands of people who could be affected by a controversial land reclamation project in North Jakarta. Surprisingly, when asked to comment on the issue, Sidiq asked, "What is reclamation? I don't know anything about it."

When informed about the project and its possible consequences, he became very curious as the impact it could have on his life began to dawn on him.

The city administration is planning two integrated projects: reclamation and revitalization. The first project would reclaim some 2,700 hectares of sea in North Jakarta. The second would revitalize 2,500 neighborhoods around the northern coast, including slum areas.

People like Sidiq who will be directly affected if the projects go ahead would be expected to be well informed on the issue. However, while the issue has been much debated by the city's political leaders and elite, the information has yet to filter down to the people like Sidiq.

The city administration claims information about the projects has been given to the public, thought this is hard to believe given the level of ignorance on the ground.

Tarmidi, who is about 30, and Dasim, who is in his 40s, are fishermen in Muara Angke. They both say that they know nothing about the reclamation and revitalization projects.

If the work goes forward, Sidiq will likely be forced to move from his house in Muara Baru because the slum area will be revitalized. In place of the small houses that currently occupy the area will be built luxury houses, hotels, apartments and modern office blocks.

Sidiq said he hoped he would at least be well compensated for his house and land. With the money he could buy a new house. What worries him is that he may loss the only job he has known.

If he is lucky he will be able to keep his job, though it will cost him more money to get from his new house to his boat.

But the future could be bleaker for the local fishermen. If the reclamation project goes ahead, it would affect the ecosystem and the fishermen would be forced to go further out to the sea for their catch. The fishermen, who now only fish near the coast, would suffer because their motorboats are not able to venture too far from land.

Dasim, who was taking his 10-year-old son fishing with him, said he and five other fishermen went out together in one boat. On a good day, he said he could earn Rp 50,000. But there were times when they only caught five kilograms of fish, which had to be shared among the six. A kilogram of fish sells for between Rp 12,000 and Rp 20,000, depending on the type.

After working for a week, Dasim returns to his hometown where he spends a week with his wife and children. He said he has seven children, but three of them have moved out.

"We still do not know what we will do if the project is implemented, because we only know how to make a living from fishing," he said.

Unlike Sidiq, Dasim and thousands of other fishermen might not receive any compensation from the city administration because they do not have Jakarta ID cards, although they have worked here for years.

Dasim does not know how long he has been here, but he said that he has been fishing in Muara Baru since before he was married.

For the city administration, the reclamation project would be a massive windfall. The city would receive at least Rp 12 trillion without doing anything, as it would get about 30 percent of the reclaimed land. But for many locals, the project could mean the loss of their jobs and homes.