'We care when squatters are forcefully evicted'

'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