Tebet fire victims may compromise with government
JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of the West Tebet fire victims said yesterday they are not in principle opposed to the city administration plan to build an apartment building on the fire site, but want the city to compromise.
The area residents initially turned down the apartment plan.
A nine-man delegation, led by Tumar, chief of the neighborhood destroyed in the fire, gave city councilors from Commission A on agrarian affairs three ways to end the deadlock.
Yesterday's meeting was chaired by Suwarno Murjo from ABRI (Armed Forces).
The ideal option for the residents would be to rebuild their houses on the site.
The second would be for the municipality to build the apartments for and interested residents, while the rest would be compensated for their land.
"If the mayoralty insists on building the low-cost apartment for the fire victims, we proposed that the city administration build some temporary marketplace elsewhere in the same neighborhood where we can still run our business pending the completion of the development of the apartment," said Tumar.
Most of the 230 families who had their houses burned by the May 11 fire were reportedly traders.
In addition, Tumar proposed that units at the apartment building be enlarged to 27 square meters each instead of 18 square meters as originally proposed by the municipal administration. The original size, he said, is more fitted to "a family of three children".
He also said the amount of compensation they deserve should be taken into account by the city administration in determining the cost they pay for each unit.
"If our compensation later turns outs to be more than the price of each unit, we should get the remainder of the money," said Tumar.
According to a 1975 regulation of the Home Affairs Ministry, squatters living on state land deserve 25 percent of the lands value, said Sutarno, chairman of Commission A.
The delegation said the actual land price in the area is Rp 2 million (US$931.5) per square meter, while the property assessor has place its value at less than 1.5 million ($698.6) per square meter.
"I really appreciate the goodwill on the part of the residents to support the program of the municipal administration plan. I think they deserve some compensation," said Romulus Sihombing, a member of commission A from the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Romulus refused to specify the amount of compensation, hinting it "somewhere around the figure stated in the property tax".
Talks
Tumar said the fire victims had failed to outline their proposals to city officials in any meeting held before because the officials preferred to brief them on the apartment plan.
"We are truly now intending to resume talks with city leaders about the issue," said Tumar.
Though the South Jakarta mayoralty officials insisted they had several meetings with residents in the wake of the fire, Romulus said that Tuesday's violent clash between the fire victims and security officers indicated a lack of communication.
"There are many examples showing that the area residents are willing to accept the program of the municipal administration if it adopts persuasive measures. Why should we use bulldozers and tear gas? It's not suitable for the residents as well as the authorities. It smeared the government's image," Romulus told The Jakarta Post.
In a related development, Lt. Col. Latief Rabar, spokesman for the city police, denounced the allegation that the officers had trampled the residents during the Tuesday's clash.
"Instead, it was the officers who were fiercely attacked," he said.
The residents told the Post yesterday that thus far there have been no reprisals for Tuesday's violent clash.
"Everything is okay, but we are always watchful," said Darunomo, a senior resident. (jsk)