Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has emphasized that the city administration will not back away from its plan to normalize Pluit Dam in North Jakarta despite problems surrounding it.

'What pressure? Who's being pressed? I know there are many groups with different interests, but I don't want to be bothered by that. What we should do is to find a solution for the residents,' Jokowi said during a visit to Pluit Dam on Monday to supervise the removal of business premises on the embankment.

Having met with different groups regarding the city's plan to relocate thousands of people from the site a number of times, Jokowi concluded that 'most people expected the city administration to prepare low-cost apartments'.

'So that's what we are preparing. We have started the construction of new affordable apartments in Marunda, Muara Baru, Luar Batang [North Jakarta], Daan Mogot [West Jakarta] and Cakung [East Jakarta]. Hopefully they will be ready within six months,' he said, declining to elaborate on the details.

The governor said that the administration would add more heavy equipment to dredge the dam, which has suffered sedimentation.

'We expect the rainy season in December. By then, water will flow from the Cideng and Ciliwung [rivers], and if [Pluit Dam] isn't ready, we will be flooded again,' he said, pointing out that relocation would be resumed once the apartments were set up.

Jokowi has repeatedly said that work on the projects that prompted the evictions, namely, normalizing the Pluit Dam, and building a waste management installation, would continue as scheduled.

Relocating thousands of squatters occupying a quarter of the 80-hectPluit Dam, however, has been a 'mission impossible' for the city administration. Many of the squatters rejected being relocated and filed complaints with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) over an alleged use of 'armed personnel' to remove them.

Outspoken Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama admitted that he had grown impatient with the progress of the city's efforts to clear the area.

'I am upset. Most of the squatters have intimidated me and my staff, sometimes using machetes or racist remarks. Previous administrations failed to clear the area because they were also intimidated by them,' Ahok told reporters over the weekend.

Ahok said that he had asked for help from the police because the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) was overwhelmed with the task.

'Earlier, some of the squatters vandalized our heavy equipment so we asked for help from the police to guard the equipment. After we withdrew the equipment, new buildings quickly arose within three days,' he said.

Otto Hernowo Hadi, an urban sociology expert from the University of Indonesia, said that he was upbeat that the current administration would be able to finish what previous administrations had failed to complete.

'The task is quite complicated. The current administration can complete it with support from various civil organizations to reduce the tension,' he told The Jakarta Post.

'The administration and civil groups should also work together to explain to the squatters about the land status and so on,' he added.

However, if the soft approach did not work, 'Jokowi should just take the dispute to court,' Otto said.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Jokowi went to Komnas HAM after the commission called on the governor in its investigation of allegations that armed personnel used threats of force to evict the squatters.

Komnas HAM chairwoman Siti Noor Laila said that they would work together to solve problems in the field, including how to continue the construction plan while ensuring the people's well-being.

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