Jakarta – Hundreds of residents of Kampung Sawah in Cilincing, North Jakarta, staged a rowdy protest on Jl. Raya Cakung in Cilincing on Wednesday, amid rumors that they will be evicted by the administration.

The protest, which began at 7 a.m., was reportedly triggered by the Jakarta Public Order Agency's (Satpol PP) plan to evict 1,500 household comprising almost 7,800 people from 33 hectares in the area.

The residents, who say that they have no proof of ownership of the land that they currently occupy, claim that they have been living in Kampung Sawah since before 1970, and urged the government to cancel its eviction plan. The land was acquired by the National Land Agency in 1972, according to officials.

North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iqbal said on Wednesday that the residents had burned tires and made several speeches on Jl. Raya Cakung in Cilincing. The residents think that there will be an eviction today, therefore they staged a protest on the road," Iqbal said.

According to the police, the protest caused traffic to back up during the morning rush hour, as protestors occupied the only access gate to the Cakung-Cilincing section of the inner-city toll road.

As residents set up tents on the street to protect themselves from the sun, others chanted and sang the name of Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, expressing hope that the governor would hear their plea and prevent their eviction.

"Pak Jokowi, please come now," one resident was heard to have shouted during the protest. We have often asked for legal standing, but our voices have never been heard. This is the first time that we have staged a protest. They [the government] only react when there's a protest," Nurdin, a resident of Kampung Sawah, said.

Nurdin said that the idea to stage a protest came from the residents themselves and no institution or NGO had backed their move.

"Today is a work day for the courts, the City Hall and the governor's office. We can coordinate [with those institutions] and we don't have to wait too long. We've been waiting for decades. Soon after we have it [the annulment of the eviction], we will leave the roads" he said.

After seven hours occupying the streets, the residents left after receiving a guarantee that Jokowi would come to meet with their representatives to resolve the matter.

Jokowi reportedly left an ongoing meeting to decide on the fate of the mass rapid transit (MRT) project, currently in limbo, to go to Cilincing to meet with the protestors. (nad)