TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsAhok welcomes newcomers to capital
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Travelers from Semarang, Central Java, walk toward the departure gate after arriving at the Pasar Senen train station in Central Jakarta on July 10. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho)
D
espite the densely populated capital, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama welcomes thousands of newcomers flocking to the city after Idul Fitri in search of a better life, so long as they do not add to the city’s woes.
The Jakarta administration predicts that around 70,000 newcomers will arrive in Jakarta in the returning wave after the mass exodus during the long Idul Fitri holiday last week.
"We don't dispute the right of newcomers to come to Jakarta. The city is the capital where anyone can challenge their fate. However, if they dare to live in illegal buildings, we will demolish the buildings and expel them back to their hometowns,” Ahok told journalists at City Hall on Monday.
No raids on the newcomers would be imposed by the administration, Ahok said, adding that he only expected newcomers to be disciplined in the city. He welcomes the new additional residents as long as they have places to live and have money and jobs.
Ahok's administration plans to build more low-cost apartments to accommodate citizens living in slum areas or illegal settlements. The city will also provide various services for the residents such as education and healthcare services. (rin)
