TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

City expects more post-holiday newcomers

As the Idul Fitri holiday approaches, Jakarta is expecting thousands of job seekers wishing to make a good living to move to the capital

Sita W. Dewi and Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, August 1, 2013

Share This Article

Change Size

City expects more post-holiday newcomers

A

s the Idul Fitri holiday approaches, Jakarta is expecting thousands of job seekers wishing to make a good living to move to the capital.

The number of post-holiday newcomers is predicted to increase this year. The city administration, however, has no intention of cracking down on newcomers at city entry points.

Jakarta Civil Registration Agency head Purba Hutapea said on Wednesday that according to a recent study by the National Statistics Agency (BPS) and the University of Indonesia, the number of newcomers was predicted to reach 52,166 this year.

'€œThe number of newcomers is predicted to reach 52,166 this year, up from 47,832 last year. We estimate that 32,011 or about 60 percent of them will stay in Jakarta while the remaining will leave Jakarta for other areas,'€ Purba said during an exodus and homeward-bound preparation briefing at the National Monument (Monas) compound in Central Jakarta.

Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama promised that the city administration would not send the newcomers home to their places of origin so long as they abide by the regulations and were responsible of their own well-being.

'€œWe should always welcome people from outside Jakarta just like we welcome tourists. However, newcomers should have jobs, incomes and places to live so they won'€™t end up living in slums or occupying street-sides,'€ Ahok said during the briefing.

The deputy governor added that the city administration would grant people who had lived and worked in the capital for 10 years a Jakarta ID.

To prevent unemployed newcomers to move to the city, Purba said that the agency would disseminate the messages through leaflets and banners.

'€œThey will include messages about how hard it is to live in the capital, especially for those who are unemployed and have no appropriate skills.'€

Purba lamented low awareness among newcomers to report their identities to the nearest local administration office, as regulated by the government.

According to the agency, only 50 percent of newcomers registered themselves to local administration offices.

'€œWe hope that it will increase to 80 percent this year,'€ he said, adding that the agency would use a soft approach.

Purba has said the trend showed a decrease in the number of newcomers as most newcomers only transit in Jakarta before heading to typical industrial areas near the city like Bogor, Cengkareng and Tangerang.

The agency recorded 51,895 newcomers in 2011, down by 12.4 percent from 59,215 the previous year.

City data shows that during the day, Jakarta is home to more than 12 million people.

The Jakarta Social Affairs Agency has netted more than 800 beggars, homeless people, prostitutes and others labeled by the government as those with community and social problems (PMKS) in July.

Social Affairs'€™ rehabilitation and service department head Ucu Rahayu said on Wednesday that most of them were seasonal beggars coming from cities in West and Central Java.

Ucu said 200 of them had been sent home and handed over to the local social affairs agencies to get further job skills training.

'€œThe others will stay at our social institutions for up to two weeks after Lebaran,'€ she said, adding that detaining them longer would teach them a lesson, so they would not go back to the city.

Ucu said more seasonal beggars continued to arrive.

'€œWe have to monitor not only main highways but also small streets as the beggars are now operating in smaller streets to avoid raids,'€ she said.

Ucu said her agency deployed 250 personnel, assisted by the Public Orders Agency (Satpol PP) officers to guard 15 areas known for having a lot of street beggars.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.