Victims rebuild houses on Penjaringan fire site

JAKARTA (JP): "We have lost everything. This small piece of land is all that we have left," Salimin said as he nailed together the remains of his roof that was destroyed by a fire.

Salimin is one of 2,600 fire victims in the Penjaringan sub- district of North Jakarta who has spent the past few days rebuilding his house among the charred remains of some 974 houses.

Rebuilding houses on fire sites, however, is being discouraged by local officials. North Jakarta mayor Suprawito said a team has been set up to investigate the land ownership status of the site which was gutted by fire Monday. A ban has been imposed on rebuilding until the investigation is completed.

The status of the 4.5-hectare area is unclear but Suprawito claims that it belongs to the state and that residents only have the right to use the land.

Many residents, however, claim to have bought their plot and say they have land ownership certificates to prove it. Many, like Salimin, persist in their efforts to rebuild their houses.

"This piece of land is all that we have left. Besides, what can we really do? Small people will remain oppressed," Trunggono, another resident, said.

The Kompas daily reported that Suprawito has threatened residents with demolition if they rebuild their houses. The mayor said the government will build an apartment building on the fire site and priority for housing will be given to the fire victims.

Namin, a long-time resident, said that the restriction on rebuilding homes should only apply to those living in the community unit area of RW 11 who earlier sold their land to the government.

"They received up to Rp 400,000 per square meter, but not us," said Namin, who lives in a neighboring unit.

Many residents are ignoring the government's restriction.

"I just follow the other residents. If they decide to build theirs I'll build my house too," Poniman said.

The cause of the fire is still unclear. The fire department said it was due to a candle that was left burning following a blackout Sunday night.

Sarbini, a resident, disagreed. "It is not quite right to conclude that it was a candle or stove explosion, as some say, even though I don't really know what caused it," he added.

Three fires have gutted residential areas in North Jakarta in the past four months. On Jan. 12, some 4,200 people were left homeless. On Feb. 22, another fire affected 210 people. No fatalities have been reported.

All the fires affected low-income workers and their families. After each fire, the government routinely tells residents that it will pay for them to return to their home towns or transmigrate.

Desrani, a fire victim from Kebumen, Central Java, rented a room for Rp 35,000 a month in the vicinity of Penjaringan and takes in daily laundry from neighbors. She said that she could not afford to return home or transmigrate.

"What will I eat while I'm waiting for crops to be harvested? Here, at least, I am assured to find at least one meal a day," she told The Jakarta Post from her second floor "shelter" in an unfinished apartment building subsidized by the government.

Those who refuse to live in the shelter are struggling to stay on their land.

Among them was Sutinah and her two children, who put up with intense heat during the day and the chilly air and mosquitoes at night.

"Here I am no one's burden and feel free to do whatever I want because it is my house," Sutinah said of her makeshift shed with its dirt floor covered with plastic sheets.

She said that she and her husband are looking for a way to slowly rebuild their living quarters.

"It'll take time for us to recover what we lost. With the blessings of God Almighty I'm sure that we will make it one day at a time," she added.

Meanwhile, City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata visited the Penjaringan fire victims Thursday. (14)