Poverty lingers in developing Shanghai
Poverty lingers in developing Shanghai
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As one of Jakarta's sister cities, Shanghai, China -- with a
total population of 13 million and an area of 6,341 square
kilometers -- shares similar problems. In a recent comparative
study tour organized by the City Council, The Jakarta Post's
Damar Harsanto was invited to visit Shanghai to learn how its
officials deal with the problems. This is the last of three
articles.
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From the Oriental Pearl TV Tower's observation deck in Pudong,
Shanghai, which is the world's third tallest tower, people can
see a maze of skyscrapers that illustrates the rapid development
of the city.
Aboard the world's first commercial Magnetic Levitation
(Maglev) train, that can travel at up to 430 kilometers per hour,
people can only see Shanghai in a blur of abstract geometric
shapes.
The tower and the Maglev reflect Shanghai's rapid development,
something Shanghai residents are proud of. One resident, Li Cheu
Ling, boasted "people can see a new high rise building built in
Shanghai every day".
Amid the development brouhaha, many city residents have felt
sidelined by the drive to turn Shanghai into a star city of
China.
On a subway ride, The Jakarta Post observed a five-year old
girl kneeling and smashing her head against the car's floor in
front of passengers, asking them for money.
"I can't stand seeing the poor girl smash her head on the
floor. I'm always quick to give them (beggars) money so they
don't do that horrible thing," resident Zhao Yi told the Post.
Many homeless people were also seen sleeping in public places
in the city.
Just like Jakarta -- that has become a magnet for people from
other areas since most of the development and money are there --
Shanghai also started to lure migrants seeking work from less
prosperous towns, following the Chinese government's policy to
make Shanghai a special economic zone in 1992.
Four million migrants are estimated to have moved to Shanghai,
causing the population to swell to around 13 million.
Poverty has accelerated the rhythm of life. "Time is very
precious here. Competition (in workplaces) is getting stiffer.
You can see from the people's faces in public places, they are
always in a hurry," said another resident, Qiang Chen.
The number of unemployed stands at over 300,000, while the
number of people living below the poverty line is around 350,000.
The minimum amount needed to live in Shanghai is around 280 yuan
(US$36) per month per capita.
Local media also reported that the crime rate rose by 3.4
percent to 37,000 cases last year, compared to 2002.
Pickpocketing and theft are the most frequent offenses.
"Behind those skyscrapers, there are still poor and shabby
shelters. It may take three days for visitors to tour all places
that show Shanghai as a modern city. But, if they stay here long
enough, they can see the slums and the poor in our city,"
Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng was quoted as saying by China Daily in
March.
Zheng made a frank comment that the administration should not
be too easily pleased with its achievement in development and
must pay more attention to alleviate poverty.
Unfortunately, such a policy is not in the minds of the
officials of the Jakarta administration as Governor Sutiyoso has
repeatedly said that most poor residents in the capital are not
his since "they don't hold Jakarta ID cards".
If Jakarta wishes to run on the same development track as
Shanghai, it must start to learn to accept urban poverty as a
consequence of development and find a way to overcome the
problem.