Sutiyoso sued in class action over public order raids
Sutiyoso sued in class action over public order raids
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
About 200 pedicab (becak) drivers, buskers, vendors and other
low-income Jakartans staged a very vocal rally at the Central
Jakarta District Court on Wednesday as they gave support to their
colleagues, who filed a class action lawsuit against Governor
Sutiyoso in response to the city administration's raids against
them.
They also filed suit against the city police chief and the
city military commander for backing the raids.
The large group crowded the court yard and displayed posters
all the while loudly condemning the governor's policies, which
they claim discriminate against low-income people.
"Sutiyoso is the terminator of poor people," one of them
shouted, in reference to the governor's attempts to clear the
city from those regarded to have disrupted the order.
A total of 57 plaintiffs, who were organized by the Jakarta
Becak Association of the Urban Poor Consortium, have appointed
eight people among themselves as legal advocates.
"The deployment of thousands of public order officers, police
officers and military officers to fight against common people is
an insult against people's rights," the plaintiffs claimed.
According to the plaintiffs, the city administration had
spent "billions of rupiah" from the city budget 2001 to drive
them from the city.
So far this year, a total of 9,194 becak drivers, 71,847
street vendors and 50 street washers have been encouraged to go
into other lines work because of the raids, the plaintiffs said.
They claimed that the city public order officers had arrested
nine becak drivers, 255 buskers, 436 prostitutes, 10 street
children, and 329 self-appointed traffic facilitators. In
addition, they have also arrested 85 women and children who
offered their services to motorists in order that they could
drive in carpool lanes. The other people who were arrested were
12 street beggars and 22 lepers or mental patients.
One civilian guard was killed and eight people were severely
injured because of the raids, while over 1,000 houses and
shanties have thus far been destroyed in the city's ambitious
clean-up program.
The plaintiffs demanded that the court order the accused to
stop the sweeps against the people and stop arresting them. They
also asked the court to fine Sutiyoso Rp 1 million a day if he
failed to carry out the court decision.
Another demand being made was for the city administration to
close down the warehouse in Cakung, where the seized pedicabs had
been stored as well as the shelter in Kedoya, where the arrested
people ha been held.
They also asked the city administration to make a public
apology.