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Jakarta welcomes post-Idul Fitri newcomers with open arms
Gone are the days when Jakarta would crack down on newcomers, particularly those of low-income and low education.
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Travelers arrive at the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in Jakarta on June 8. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
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akarta seeks to be more open to newcomers, who typically move to the city after the Idul Fitri holiday period, as the administration dispenses with a notorious and discriminative policy of civil registration raids targeting newcomers.
Instead, the city administration would document newcomers. Neighborhood units (RT) and community units (RW), at the forefront of administrative services in the city, would set up civil registry booths, Jakarta Population and Civil Registry Agency head Dhany Sukma said.
Dhany explained that citizens coming to Jakarta should bring their personal documents, such as their ID cards and family cards (KK), to the civil registry booths, so that the municipality’s population and civil registry office could issue temporary residency letters for them.
The service provided by the city stands in stark contrast to decades of crackdowns dubbed as “Operasi Yustisia”, which targeted mostly low-skilled newcomers, not high-earning individuals.
Dhany said that approach was no longer in line with current conditions.
“[Operasi] Yustisia’s approach and terminology is no longer appropriate in this democratic atmosphere to meet every citizen’s rights. That’s why the current approach is civil registry service instead of punishment,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
The data collection would serve to map the areas where newcomers arrive in Jakarta, their motivation and places of residence as well as their place of origin.
