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Ahok brushes off complaints from Rawajati evictees
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A resident watches Jakarta Public Order Agency workers demolish his home in Rawajati, Pancoran, South Jakarta, on Thursday. The Jakarta administration cleared the illegal settlements near Duren Kalibata train station and offered to relocate the residents to low-cost apartment in Marunda, North Jakarta, in order to turn the area into green space. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
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akarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has brushed off complaints from residents evicted from Rawajati, Pancoran, South Jakarta, who have refused to be relocated to low-cost apartments in Marunda, North Jakarta.
"Do you know that almost 1 million [train] passengers from Bogor go to Jakarta and Tangerang every day? Are they complaining? Just check where the workers in Thamrin and Sudirman come from," Ahok told journalists at City Hall on Friday.
Residents have complained about the distance from their former homes and workplaces as Marunda is 35 kilometers from Duren Kalibata Station in Rawajati.
The city administration had offered complete compensation to residents evicted from their homes, which stood on state land, Ahok claimed. The city provided free buses, health facilities and also Jakarta Smart Cards for students. The administration would also assist residents whose shops were demolished to continue working by providing kiosks at facilities managed by city market operator PD Pasar Jaya.
Ahok also stressed that the city administration would take care of around 35 children from the Shohibul Al Istiqomah orphanage in Rawajati, which was also demolished in the evictions on Thursday. The city's social agency has relocated some 30 children to a new building in Cililitan, East Jakarta.
The city cleared the area near the railway tracks at Duren Kalibata Station on Thursday to make way for green space. The evictions also aimed to curb traffic congestion believed to be a result of the illegal settlements. The evictions were met with protests and a clash between public order officials and residents, who refused to leave after spending more than 30 years in Rawajati. (rin)
