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Evictees losing their bread and butter
Home sweet home: A woman prepares food to celebrate her new home in the Jatinegara Barat rusunawa (low-cost apartments)
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Home sweet home: A woman prepares food to celebrate her new home in the Jatinegara Barat rusunawa (low-cost apartments). Hundreds of residents of Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara, have just moved to the rusunawa after the city administration evicted them last Thursday and demolished their houses.(JP/foy) (low-cost apartments). Hundreds of residents of Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara, have just moved to the rusunawa after the city administration evicted them last Thursday and demolished their houses.(JP/foy)
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span class="inline inline-center">Home sweet home: A woman prepares food to celebrate her new home in the Jatinegara Barat rusunawa (low-cost apartments). Hundreds of residents of Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara, have just moved to the rusunawa after the city administration evicted them last Thursday and demolished their houses.(JP/foy)
A week after getting evicted from their homes by the city administration and relocating to West Jatinegara rusunawa (low-cost apartments), dozens of former residents of Kampung Pulo, Jatinegara in East Jakarta are facing yet another problem, the loss of their livelihood.
Safitriani, 57, among the evictees, used to sell fried snacks and instant noodles from a kiosk but it was demolished along with her house.
'Lucky me, I have enough savings to buy rice for around two weeks,' said the mother of four, who had lived in Kampung Pulo since 1990.
She said that she used to earn Rp 30,000 (US$2.14) a day, while her eldest son, who works as an angkot (public minivan) driver, only earned Rp 20,000. Her youngest son can earn Rp 8,000 per day by helping neighbors fill gallon-sized water jugs.
'I do not know what to do next to make a living,' said the woman who now occupies a 30 square-meter unit on the 16th floor of the rusunawa along with six family members.
There are more than 1,500 families or some 3,400 people occupying Kampung Pulo, 1,040 of whom were forced to relocate so that the city administration could expand the capacity of the river.
The evicted people not only lost their homes but also their 'customary land' where they had lived for decades. They were forced to leave without compensation due to the absence of legally secure documents.
Safitriani said she was not alone in losing her livelihood after getting evicted. 'Most of the [evicted] residents had relied on selling snacks and other foods,' she said.
Nasrul, 68, who had been selling snacks at a kiosk in his house since 1968, said he was all out of options.
'I don't know, I'm too old for a job, but my family needs money,' said the man who now resides in a unit on the 4th floor with three children and two grandchildren.
Sa'ani, 63, another evictee who used to sell es mambo (flavored frozen ice inside a tiny plastic container), is not sure her savings will suffice.
'I can use my savings, I hope it's enough,' said Sa'ani, who occupies a unit with three sons and two grandchildren.
She said that the administration had promised the rusunawa residents a number of kiosks so that they could continue to operate their businesses.
'But how about the capital? We have to start from scratch and doing so will require more money,' Sa'ani said.
From January to August this year, the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) recorded 21 forced evictions in the capital, resulting in thousands of families losing their houses and small businesses.
LBH Jakarta has demanded that the city administration pay compensation and provide rehabilitation for the evictees.
'Most of them, indeed, used the state's land. But the state is also responsible for ensuring that they don't lose their quality of life,' lawyer Pratiwi Febry from LBH Jakarta said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, East Jakarta Mayor Bambang Musyawardana said that the administration aimed to build a commercial center and provide space for kiosks on the second floor of the rusunawa.
'We still have to make a list of how many residents used to operate kiosks. The rusunawa management has been listing the names and we also have to discuss the matter with the governor,' Bambang said.
However, Bambang said that the administration would not likely provide capital for the kiosks.
'I don't think so. Giving them capital means teaching them not to be self-sufficient,' he added. (foy)
