Ahok is doing the job that other governors failed to do. He has set a tone that enough is enough.

Negotiating with illegal squatters, who should have never been there to begin with, is something the previous administrations either did or, more than likely, ignored and the result became a cesspool of shacks, unworthy for humans to live in, albeit illegally.

Government agencies have negotiated with people living illegally or who are involved in illegal or questionable activities for far too long.

Ahok inherited a position that left him with few choices to resolve the problems plaguing the city. In the short time he has been in office, he has fought with the City Council over questionable budget requirements, Muslim groups who wanted out because he isn'€™t Muslim, and throughout it all has made significant improvements across the city.

To expect him to negotiate over illegal issues (squatters) is counterproductive and does not serve the interests of the majority of the city'€™s residents. The administration offered low-cost housing, yet the squatters expected compensation for land they do not own.

In my opinion, Ahok is a step above just about every other government employee and strives for a better Jakarta. The problem of the illegal squatters is a national problem that needs to be solved. These people migrate from villages with no place to live, no skills and no work.

Nationally, the appropriate government agencies need to determine why people leave their villages and how to boost people'€™s livelihoods in villages to avoid the annual wave of urbanization, which invariably increases crime, discrimination against these people and the ever-present illegal shacks rising throughout cities.

Willo
Jakarta

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