'The poor are not allowed here'

'The poor are not allowed here'

With the current rapid rate of development in the capital, urban
activists are concerned that space for residents to relax and
enjoy life in, will be even more limited. True, a month-long
celebration of Jakarta's 477th anniversary is underway, but that
doesn't mean that economic and social issues should be swept
under the carpet by the administration. The Jakarta Post talked
to some residents about the city.

Kajidin, 38, is the chairman of the Jakarta Traditional
Fishermen Union (SNT). Kajidin -- along with hundreds of other
residents of Muara Angke in North Jakarta -- was evicted in
October. Many of the evictees will soon move to Indramayu, West
Java, where housing has been allocated for them:

I think that the real message of all these celebrations is
that Jakarta is for the rich. The poor, like myself, are not
allowed to live here.

During my 30 years in Jakarta, not once did the administration
pay attention to the development of the traditional fishing
industry. The agency only thinks of how to relocate us to other
places, like Sulawesi or Maluku. We, traditional fishermen, are
not welcome here.

Hundreds of traditional fishermen families, including mine,
will say goodbye to this city this weekend.

But, we will still catch fish in the sea around Jakarta.
Because the market here is better than that of Indramayu.

Novianto Prakoso, in his 30s, works for a private company and
spends his spare time at an automotive club. He lives with his
family in South Jakarta:

I hope Jakarta will have a future leader who is smart and
experienced, but still has a conscience. I see that the source of
red tape and problems in the capital is the inefficiency of its
top officials.

Besides (former governor) Ali Sadikin, I think there have
always been two kinds of leader in Jakarta: one type is honest
but stupid, and lacks initiative; the other type is rather smart
but corrupt, and tends to be greedy.

We can see this in our everyday lives. We have always had
problems with traffic and street vendors. I don't understand, why
is it so difficult to keep public transportation in order?
Drivers should be ticketed every time they violate a regulation.
Maybe that would discourage them from doing it again. The truth
is that both drivers and the police are taking advantage of the
situation: One gets out of punishment, the other gets a cash
bonus.

--The Jakarta Post