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Residents just retreat and weep as backhoes topple their houses
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Workers dismantle houses on the banks of Ciliwung River in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, on Sept. 28. (tempo.com/Avit Hidayat)
U
nlike evictions in other areas, residents offered no physical resistance when hundreds of security personnel escorted workers and backhoes to topple their houses in Bukit Duri near Ciliwung River in South Jakarta on Wednesday.
Their protests were expressed in a peaceful manner. The residents played various kinds of musical instruments to balance against the roar of the backhoes.
Sandyawan Sumardi, one of the founders of Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka, an organization that gives a voice to marginalized people, said the residents would not carry out physical resistance because they had taken the case to court.
“We are not victims. We are survivors who never give up,” said Sandyawan, adding that the administration had not acted fairly because the evictions had taken place while the legal process was still ongoing.
As one by one the houses were destroyed by the heavy machinery, the residents hit kentongan (bamboo drums), angklung (bamboo orchestra equipment), plastic buckets, cans and other things to express their discontent.
Other residents secured their belongings from their houses as the backhoes approached them. They could only retreat and weep.
In response to critics of his eviction policy, as reported by kompas.com, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who is seeking reelection, said: “I don’t care about popularity. The most important thing is that people will remember me”. (bbn)
