Squatters reject resettlement offer

Damar Harsanto and Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most riverbank dwellers in the city interviewed by The Jakarta Post on Monday turned down Governor Sutiyoso's offer to resettle them to less densely populated areas outside Java, claiming that it would adversely affect their quality of life, not improve it.

"Many of us have been living here for decades. Such a program would be like sending us into exile. The city administration just have no idea how hard it would be for us to adapt ourselves to a new place," said Badrudin, 30, a Jakarta-born resident, who lives on the banks of Ciliwung River in Manggarai subdistrict, South Jakarta.

Badrudin, who will marry early next month, is an unskilled employee of a heavy machinery company.

Badrudin's father, Muhammad Thoyib, 68, said that it would be better for the administration to provide low-cost apartments for them to replace their homes. Thoyib claimed that his family have been living in the area since 1950.

Governor Sutiyoso offered on Saturday the transmigration program to resettle 50,000 people from the city's riverbanks to areas outside of Java and Bali. They are among at least 381,000 flood victims in Jakarta.

Under the program, the resettled people would receive two hectares of land to cultivate and a house for each family.

But many frown upon the idea due to the squatters lack of farming skills and knowledge.

"What we fear is that we won't be able to cultivate our crops properly. We also don't know how to market our yields," said Sudaryanto, 41, a squatter residing along the banks of Kali Angke River in Pejagalan, North Jakarta.

Sudaryanto, who runs a small workshop to repair damaged vehicle seats, said he could not imagine how he could leave his business to face uncertainties in a new place.

Meanwhile, Asep, 40, revealed that his main concern was that he did not want to be separated from his family here.

"Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua are quite far away. We would be separated from our relatives here," said Asep, who lives along the banks of Ciliwung River in Cawang subdistrict, East Jakarta, with his own family along with the families of his siblings.

The proposal was also deemed unrealistic for elderly people such as Samparan, 68, and his wife who also live on the banks of Kali Angke River in North Jakarta.

"Although smelly, filthy silt from Angke river still swamps our home, we want to stay here as my wife and I are too old to start a new life in a new place," said Samparan, who claimed to be a former sailor.

However, Samparan revealed that he would accept being resettled if the city administration gave him proper compensation for his makeshift house and its land, and helps finance his family's return to his hometown in South Sulawesi.

His neighbor, Solichin, was the only person interviewed by The Jakarta Post to welcome Sutiyoso's plan.

"I would join the scheme as I was a farmer in Sumatra for many years," said Solichin, 35, a father of three. Solichin currently works as an unskilled worker in a North Jakarta factory.

Separately, the head of the City Housing Agency, Bachri Anwar, said on Monday that his agency had proposed Rp 15 billion to help repair houses damaged by the recent floods.

"But the fund would not be used to help repair illegal houses along the riverbanks," Bachri told reporters at City Hall, after meeting Sutiyoso.

He said the money would be used for damaged houses that had building permits, while the administration would construct low- cost apartments for people who are currently living along riverbanks.

It's still unclear how the money will be distributed, but the administration earlier announced that each house would receive Rp 200,000.

The administration earlier also planned to develop a low-cost apartment in Bidara Cina, East Jakarta but it was postponed due to financial shortages.