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Jakarta slum dwellers wary of eviction despite revitalization pledge
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A resident sits inside their home in a densely populated neighborhood of Menteng, Central Jakarta, on May 15, 2025. According to the Statistics Agency (BPS), around 34.75 percent of households in Indonesia were still living in substandard housing in 2024. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
J
akarta Governor Pramono Anung has pledged to upgrade all of the city’s slum areas by 2027 without relocating any residents, but many remain skeptical, recalling past administrations that evicted people in the name of urban development.
This year, the Jakarta Housing and Settlement Agency plans to revitalize 55 slum areas across the city: 10 in Central Jakarta, three in North Jakarta, 17 in West Jakarta, 12 in South Jakarta and 13 in East Jakarta.
These neighborhoods are typically overcrowded, with poorly built housing and limited access to sanitation. One such area is Menteng Tenggulun in Central Jakarta, situated along the polluted banks of the Ciliwung River and home to over 1,980 registered families.
Governor Pramono visited the neighborhood last week, where he announced the revitalization plan. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician claimed he would not evict any residents from Menteng Tenggulun, but rather improve key infrastructure there, such as roads, drainage systems and sanitation.
“We are not evicting anyone. [We will make sure] that economic activities will continue during the revitalization process,” said Pramono, the former cabinet secretary.
Read also: Pramono targets over 1,000 ‘rusunawa’ units by next year to ease housing backlog
Retno Sulistyaningrum, the housing agency’s settlement division head, confirmed to The Jakarta Post separately that the program targets basic facility upgrades, adding that better communal infrastructure is expected to raise the overall quality of life.
