'We care when squatters are forcefully evicted'

World Population Day passed unobserved on July 11 in the capital, where squatters, who live on riverbanks or beneath overpasses and bridges, are blamed for annual flooding and the worsening condition of city infrastructure. The Jakarta Post talked to some Jakartans about the presence of squatters in the city.

Ferdi, 26, is employed by a machinery plant on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta. He lives with his family in Tomang, West Jakarta:

I think the city administration is right to prohibit squatters from living on empty lots located under overpasses.

From what I've heard, the argument that squatters have a habit of burning trash under bridges and making artesian wells near the pylons, which could weaken the structure, is reasonable.

If a bridge were to collapse, the squatters would be in the most dangerous position.

Squatters should also be barred from living alongside river banks, so the rivers can flow freely without being clogged by trash. Besides, if the rivers overflow, it would again be at the expense of the squatters.

But, I'm confused as well on how to resolve this problem. Maybe the city administration could facilitate some kind of land rental system, whereby those who own a vacant lot, ideally situated in a safe place, rent it to the squatters.

Yulius, 27, is an employee with an IT company on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. He rents a house with his friends in Setiabudi, Central Jakarta:

I've been noticing that we give our attention to the problem of squatters in the city only when they are forcefully evicted from a plot of land.

Many evictions, however, could actually be carried out peacefully if the squatters were first notified and given enough time to move out. It would be even better is there was a clear and legal agreement between squatters and land owners, on how long they could stay on the land.

The city administration should, therefore, not tolerate nor facilitate squatters that have not come to an arrangement with land owners.

In addition, the city administration should strictly limit the number of migrants coming to the city, by stopping the practice of issuing ID cards for a fee.

It should also provide more cheap housing, especially near business districts, to house any informal workers who just want to make a living in those districts.

--The Jakarta Post