Sutiyoso plans to close city to migrants
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Undeterred by fierce criticism of his policy, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso reiterated on Wednesday his intention to close the city to migrants who do not have sufficient money to live on, job offers or a house to stay in.
"We have certain requirements; not all migrants can enter the city," Sutiyoso told reporters after opening a seminar on population at Sari Pan Pacific Hotel here.
He said migrants who wanted to enter the city should be required to have a sufficient amount of money to live on in the city for a certain period of time.
He said people should have a definite destination or house to go to, -- possibly with family or relatives -- that could accommodate them.
"Or the people should have already arranged employment here. They should not come here without definite job prospects or just to seek a job," said Sutiyoso, who was reelected for the second five-year term this month.
He admitted that such a policy would be similar to that applied on Batam island, Riau province, which is facing a similar problem of an influx of migrants.
He said the plan to close the city to migrants would be included in the draft bylaw on population which is currently being formulated by the city administration.
This has not been the first statement of Sutiyoso on the issue. Last year, he also announced his plan to close the city ahead of the Idul Fitri holidays, after which many migrants usually come to Jakarta.
The administration estimates that some 250,000 newcomers enter the city every year, with most of them arriving after the Muslim holiday.
Former governor Ali Sadikin supported Sutiyoso's policy to close the city to migrants in an effort to solve urban population problems.
"There should be a limitation on the number of people entering the city or the city will face a huge population problem," Ali, newly installed as Sutiyoso's advisor on population and city planning, said on Wednesday.
Ali said the city, which was designed by the Dutch colonialists to accommodate only 600,000 residents, could no longer accommodate its current population of 10 million residents.
With a total area of 650 square kilometers, Jakarta's population density is about 13,000 people per square kilometer and in certain areas, such as Tambora, in West Jakarta and Senen in Central Jakarta the population density reaches up to 20,000 people per square kilometer.
Ali once issued a decree in the 1970s effectively closing the city by applying certain requirements, but the decree not successfully enforced.
Separately former minister of regional autonomy Ryaas Rasyid shared a similar view, saying that the city could be closed to migrants.
"It's no problem if the city is closed to migrants. Washington, New York and Hawai also apply a similar policy," Ryaas was quoted by Beritajakarta.com as saying before meeting Sutiyoso on Wednesday at City Hall.
He said closing the city could be taken as an effort to curb migration from the rural areas which had become a chronic problem in the city.
Sutiyoso's planned policy to close the city has been criticized by activists who say it is a violation of the right of citizens to travel across the country and to seek suitable employment.
They said that Sutiyoso's policy demonstrated his failure to handle urban problems and the city's poor.
Last week, city councillors also criticized Sutiyoso for trying to copy Batam's policy, saying that it could not be applied in the capital city which belonged to all people in the country.
"The policy would not work. Jakarta belongs to all people in the country," said councillor Wasilah Sutrisno of City Council Commission E for social welfare affairs.
She viewed the planned policy as a reflection of Sutiyoso's unsympathetic policy toward the urban poor.
During the last two weeks, Sutiyoso's administration has forcibly evicted thousands of street vendors operating in Pulogadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals in East Jakarta.