Jakarta – Hundreds of people living under the Jembatan Tiga expressway, which was recently damaged in a slum fire, protested Monday in front of the North Jakarta municipal office against the local administration's plan to evict them.
The squatters demanded the North Jakarta administration cancel the evictions, scheduled for late August, and expressed their unwillingness to be relocated to low-cost apartments such as those still under construction in Marunda, North Jakarta.
They argued the apartments were uninhabitable, with clogged up toilets, cracked walls and broken floors, and that the location was far from their workplaces and schools.
Wardah Hafidz, the coordinator of non-governmental organization the Urban Poor Consortium, who attended the rally, repeated their demands.
She said the squatters wanted to move to a vacant lot near the turnpike instead of to the apartments. "The government could later develop the property, making it a better place to live.
"The area has sometimes been used as a traditional market, so why not just let them live there, or in the nearby apartments, so they can still be close to their workplaces," Wardah said.
She acknowledged, however, that not all of the squatters were against the administration. Some of them have reportedly had a change of heart after weeks of uncertainty and just want a place to stay.
"But, it's only a small number of the squatters, such as those living in Rawa Bebek. Almost two-thirds of them insist on staying put and almost a third have decided to accept the apartment offer or the Rp 1 million (around US$106.3) start-up payment," said Wardah, adding that she thought most of the squatters would stay put even as the eviction deadline approached.
"Foke (Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo) said the deadline was Aug. 31, but the mayor (North Jakarta Mayor Effendi Anas) has given them three days to move, which puts the deadline between Aug. 28 and Aug. 29," she said.
Responding to Monday's protest, Mayor Effendi asked non-governmental organizations to refrain from discouraging the squatters from accepting the government's offers.
"We're all concerned about the situation. It's inhumane and unhealthy to live under the turnpike. Please do not profit from people's misery and their poverty," Effendy said as quoted by Kompas online.