The Idul Fitri party is over. People are now returning to Jakarta after spending time – and money – in their hometowns. Many of them, especially the poor, are tired and broke from long journeys. Yet they have returned to a city that is unwelcoming.

Some have found their houses have been robbed, opportunistic thieves breaking in and stealing anything they could find, including cars. Many slum residents have found their homes gone, often razed by fires that may or may not have been arson.

Hundreds of traders in Cikokol, Tangerang, came back from their Idul Fitri holidays to find their kiosks had been demolished for the construction of a modern market building.

We feel sympathy for all of these people. They left Jakarta for their hometowns to spend the holiday with family and friends. Many spent their entire savings for the opportunity to spend the holiday back home. And they returned to Jakarta to find this happiness gone.

We are sorry to learn the city administration is planning to conduct its annual, unpopular raids against these returning residents and newcomers, especially those without proper documentation.

Past experience shows the raids are not effective in discouraging people from coming to Jakarta. They only add to the burden of those poor people who are already broke after the holiday.

As long as unemployment in the regions remains high and the job opportunities limited, people will continue to come to Jakarta in search of a better life.

The decentralization of authority and resources from Jakarta to regions in 2001 has had some positive results. Economic activity in the regions is on the rise, and businesses are doing better.

The problem is that unemployment is so high these modest gains have not been enough to absorb all the people in the regions looking for work.

As a consequence, people continue to pour into Jakarta – and its surrounding towns – because of the many opportunities the city offers.

Raids targeting newcomers are not the solution. In fact, they are a violation of human rights, especially the right to earn a living. The victims of this inhumane policy are mostly those in the lower economic brackets who badly need jobs but are not equipped with the necessary documents.

Those of us with money will not be bothered by these raids. But we should still stand up and speak out against them and for the rights of the people targeted by them.

True, many of these returning people and newcomers become a burden to the city. But most are hard working and enterprising, willing to do the jobs that must of us refuse to handle.

They contribute to the city's increasing productivity and improved wealth, and they deserve better treatment.

That such population raids have been legalized by a bylaw is shameful. Such a bylaw has no place in a democratic country like Indonesia that claims to respect human rights. We need to contest this bylaw through the proper legal channels.

All of us need to be more sympathetic to these returning people and newcomers. They not only help increase the wealth of the city, but also distribute wealth from the city to the regions.

After all, mudik is an annual event involving millions of people. We need to think of ways to help these people in their travels, and most importantly to give them a proper welcome upon their return.