A dark-skinned frail old man sat resting under a tree, gazing off into
the distance where statues of Indonesia’s two founding fathers — Sukarno
and Mohammad Hatta — preside over Proclamation Monument park in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
“I’m bored of seeing nothing but those statues,” said Suwito with a bitter sigh. “I’m thinking of moving but I don’t know where to yet.”
For four years, the homeless man and his wife have lived in the park. It was here that Sukarno declared the nation’s independence in 1945, five years before Suwito’s birth.
Suwito and his wife, and the thousands of other homeless people wandering Jakarta’s streets, are stark reminders that Sukarno’s dream of building a powerful and prosperous nation is still far from being realized — even 65 years after Sukarno’s death.
The Jakarta Statistics Agency stated that there were 323,170 poor people living in Jakarta in 2009. The year before, that number stood at 379,600.
Among the poor are homeless people living under bridges, in parks and on the streets.
According to the coordinator of the park, Warnadi, the public order officers who patrol the park 24 hours a day frequently ask homeless people to leave the area.
However, many creep back into the park through gaps in the iron perimeter fence in between patrols, he said.
“By the end of 2009, we had renovated 30 percent of the gate on the west side so that the spaces between the bars are narrower, but continuing the work this year has been difficult since the central government did not grant us our proposed budget,” he said, adding that the 2010 budget had allocated Rp 350 million (US$37,200) for maintaining
the park.
He said the officers locked the park’s main gates at 10 p.m. to prevent homeless people from getting in, and reponed them at 6 p,m. in the morning.
“There are some homeless people but they come and go. Sometimes they reappear after 3 days,” he said.
Suwito and Ana, 40, both have been married for thirteen years, said they could not leave the park because they had no where else to go.
“My legs are not that strong to walk far,” said Ana, who has a left foot that is bent awkwardly and disfigured fingers on her left hand — evidence of when she contracted Polio at age 12.
“Two months ago I suddenly fainted, and when I woke up I was in the hospital,” she said.
Suwito said he and a homeless friend of his had carried Ana to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, despite not having any money.
Luckily, he said, residents living in the community behind the park helped him obtain a poverty disclosure statement from their neighborhood chief, allowing Ana to receive two weeks of treatment at the hospital for free.
“The doctor said that there was thick blood behind her head and she needed an operation which wouldn’t be free,” he said, adding that he had brought his wife daily meals because the hospital had not provided food.
He said he and his wife collected plastic cups and sold them to make enough money to eat, but added that success was not guaranteed.
When they are unable to find enough cups to pay for a proper meal, they share a packet of rice, which costs Rp 3,000.
“I bought my husband a cup of coffee, too, for Rp 500. The food stall owner was kind so she filled my water bottle for free. Some owners are not that kind and charge me Rp 1,000 for drinking water,” Ana said, while sitting on a foam mattress.
“A few days ago, there was a TV crew shooting a show in the next-door building. It looked so festive but I was told to keep far away during the shoot,” she added.
“I asked one of the crew for this foam mattress when the show was done.”
“I caught a glimpse of Megawati too when she came here,” she said.
On June 6, Megawati Soekarnoputri hosted a wayang puppet show next to the monument to mark the “Month of Sukarno”, which celebrates Sukarno’s declaration of Pancasila, Indonesia’s original pillar of philosophy. Sukarno was born June 6, 1901, and died June 21, 1970.
Wardah Hafidz of the Urban Poor Consortium said the government should provide appropriate and accessible housing for the homeless.
“Crime and violence quickly befall the homeless,” she said, adding that many were in poor health due to continued exposure to high pollution levels.
He also said many were victims of frequent raids conducted by the public order officers. (gzl)
