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Evictees face gloomy Idul Fitri despite new apartments
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Gloomy day -- Neng, a Kalijodo evictee, tends her grocery store inside her apartment unit. She says her family income has drastically decreased after moving to the Pulo Gebang low-cost apartment. (The Jakarta Post/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)
N
eng, a middle-aged woman who is now living at a Pulo Gebang low-cost apartment, recalled that she had a gloomy Idul Fitri because the Jakarta administration failed to keep its promise.
"It's not that I am a hateful person but Ahok never apologizes for evicting us from our homes. His promise to provide us with assistance to start businesses is merely a lip service to the media. Most of us are now jobless and face a tough life," Neng told thejakartapost.com on Thursday.
Neng, who opened a grocery store in her unit said that her daily income was just around Rp 20,000 (US$1.52) per day, a steep decrease from the Rp 2 million a month she earned while still living in Kalijodo, pre-eviction.
Although Neng has submitted her family card and identity card to apply for business assistance in the form of a loan or tent for a shop, she has yet to receive anything from the administration. Life has become tougher for her and her family as she needs to pay rent for the apartment, which is Rp 250,000 per month excluding the water and electricity bill. The situation has made her become dependent on her son, a private company employee, to support her and her husband.
"In the past, Idul Fitri was a happy time. I could cook two chickens with two kilograms of beef and feed the whole family for three days. Now, I only buy one chicken with half-a-kilogram of beef and it's all finished in one day," Neng said, adding there are no subsidized bazaars for occupants who do not hold a Jakarta smart card (KJP).
Aning, Neng's husband, added further that the family had tightened its belt for quite sometime and therefore refrained from enjoying activities such as visiting the Ragunan Zoo or travelling around Jakarta as what they used to do during previous Idul Fitri festivities.
Another resident, Syaiful Ali, a company employee in Slipi, West Jakarta, acknowledged that his life had become better since moving but admitted that he missed the joyous atmosphere of Idul Fitri like that enjoyed during his time living in Kalijodo.
"Life in an apartment is more individual. It makes me miss my childhood in Kalijodo, when my neighbors would visit my house during Idul Fitri and we could enjoy playing the guitar and singing together," Ali said, adding that he regretted the administration's reluctance to help relocated residents to find jobs after the eviction.
"Ahok should come here and listen to our problems for himself," he said.
Although there are similar protests from other evictees who are being moved to the Rawabebek low-cost apartment in East Jakarta, many residents here have acknowledged that their livelihoods have improved and they have a better environment at the new apartments.
"It’s cleaner here compared to our village in Pasar Ikan. The apartment was also built well with the trees so the environment is quite nice here," apartment resident Wiguna said, adding that he was happy that the apartment management was conducting “Pesantren Ramadan”, a religious short-course program for his children.
Wiguna's wife Supri Nuraini was also grateful as she could buy daily goods at cheaper prices as the apartment was located near the Cipinang traditional market. The only problem this family with four children encountered was that their apartment was a single-bedroom unit.
The Jakarta administration was reportedly labeled as “impatient” during the eviction process as it decided to move 300 families to the single-bedroom units back in April. The construction of apartments with family-sized units will be finished in October.
Kholidah, another Rawa Bebek apartment resident, also expressed her disappointment with the small unit.
"I have quite mixed feelings spending Idul Fitri here. Previously, in my last house I could receive guests, but now I can hardly welcome them in my small unit," Kholidah said, adding that she lived with her husband and two children in the studio apartment.
