'Poor people miss out on cheap housing'

This year's observance of World Population Day on July 11 coincided with the 10th anniversary of the International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994. Many population issues have yet to be addressed, including the deprived lives of squatters worldwide. The Jakarta Post asked some Jakartans their opinion on how the city administration should deal with squatters here.

Rudy, 34, is a home appliances vendor in Glodok, West Jakarta. He lives in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, with his wife and son:

I know these comments of mine might be perceived by some as being rather harsh towards squatters but I think we should also be fair toward the owners of the land they occupy.

To start with, I wish the squatters would become land owners themselves, who suddenly find total strangers occupying their land. When they finally find a use for their land, they cannot develop it because these strangers refuse to move, claim ownership of it, and even demand compensation for anything they build.

The matter would be different if the squatters had asked permission first from the owners and had made some sort of an agreement they would only stay on the land until it was used.

Such an agreement would be fair to both land owners and the squatters.

Riana, 24, is a store attendant in a shopping center on Jl. Gajah Mada, West Jakarta. She lives nearby at a rented house with her friends:

The issue of squatters is a dilemma. On one hand, I think that the shanties built by squatters make the city look untidy, and their presence could increase the city's crime rate -- I always feel worried if I have to walk alone at night under an overpass that has squatters living underneath.

But on the other hand, I also feel pity on them because they can't afford to live anywhere else. It would be cruel to evict them just like that, without providing any solutions.

The government should be held responsible and should come up with a solution, like providing low-cost housing for them -- or at least affordable rooms to rent.

The government should also properly manage the existing low- cost houses because, from what I know, many cheap houses are occupied by people who don't actually need them and who rent them out for money.

--The Jakarta Post