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overnor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo is now facing an acid test of leadership, dealing with thousands of squatters who are challenging a city program to relocate them from state land in Pluit, North Jakarta, that they have occupied for years.

The Jakarta administration plans to clear the land, which housed a dam built by the Dutch colonial government in 1918 until sedimentation led a part of the area to be converted into residential land.

It is not the first time that the popular governor has had to negotiate opposition from the people. Previously, residents of Warakas, also in North Jakarta, stood behind their subdistrict head, Mulyadi, who refused to attend a mandatory test for public officials seeking reappointment.

The Pluit case, however, is a tough challenge, perhaps the most difficult that Jokowi has ever met. According to the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), around 6,800 families currently occupy about a quarter of the 80-hectare site. The city has relocated only 420 of the families to low-cost apartments rented out for no more than Rp 250,000 (US$25.75) a month.

The majority of the squatters are fighting relocation unless the administration comes up with a permanent solution, including proper housing. Some have also demanded financial compensation. The governor, however, insists that his administration will not compensate the squatters because they occupy state property and lack title to the land.

Needless to say, the governor's decision to clear the land is for the benefit of the whole city; normalization of the dam will help the city stave off annual floods. Sedimentation has rendered the dam dysfunctional, paving the way for the disaster to strike at anytime.

Efforts to evict the squatters were initiated by the administration of Jokowi's immediate predecessor, Fauzi Bowo, who put the normalization project on hold, pending disbursement of a World Bank loan.

The city government under Jokowi has offered the squatters a good deal in relocating them to low-cost apartments.

According to Jokowi, the city has allotted 2.3 hectares to build new apartments near the dam that could accommodate 700 families and also has plans to buy another 6 hectares to build more low-cost apartments.

The fact that the National Commission on Human Rights has thrown its weight behind the relocation suggests that any government policy deserves support if it is intended for the good of the people. That the Jokowi administration has so far avoided any use of force and has instead promoted persuasion is a plus that sooner or later will wear down the squatters' stubbornness.

As the mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, Jokowi 'evicted' thousands of street vendors and relocated them to a new market.

Such a happy ending is what Jokowi and all Jakarta people expect.

Jakarta still has a lot of problems like the dam normalization program. Thousands of people now occupy state land, including riverbanks, not only endangering themselves but also exacerbating the risk of floods. There are also thousands of street vendors who take over sidewalks, city parks and other public spaces at the expense of other road users, worsening traffic congestion.

The success of Jokowi's effort to relocate the squatters in Pluit will set a good precedent for future law enforcement programs dealing with squatters and street vendors.