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Anies under fire for eviction in Sunter
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has come under fire following the eviction of dozens of families in Sunter Agung, North Jakarta, last week, as he had previously denounced the practice that had been employed by his predecessor
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span>Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has come under fire following the eviction of dozens of families in Sunter Agung, North Jakarta, last week, as he had previously denounced the practice that had been employed by his predecessor.
The North Jakarta administration evicted illegal structures on Jl. Agung Perkasa VIII in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on Thursday, to restore the water channel in the area as part of flood mitigation efforts, as well as to construct an inspection road.
Most of the evicted residents claimed to have lived in the area since the 1980s and made ends meet by selling secondhand home appliances at the location.
The eviction, which was carried out with the assistance of 1,500 personnel from the police, the Public Order Agency and the Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU), displaced dozens of families.
The administration claimed in a video on its official YouTube channel on Sunday that peaceful demolition activities would be conducted despite “provocation by some residents who illegally rent the land”.
However, contrary to claims in the video, evictee Rizal Fahmi, 21, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the eviction turned into chaos and he was detained for resisting eviction and questioned at the police station for hours.
As a result, evicted residents filed a report with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), claiming violence had been used during the eviction.
North Jakarta Mayor Sigit Wijatmoko rebuffed criticism of the evictions, claiming that his office had notified residents of the plan in September, after which some people had voluntarily dismantled their houses.
He went on to say that his office had offered evictees housing at the Marunda low-cost apartments in North Jakarta, which was rejected by many over concerns of how they would make a living there.
Anies has refused to comment on the Sunter eviction.
“Please ask the North Jakarta mayor,” he said on Tuesday as quoted by antaranews.com.
During his election campaign, Anies frequently criticized his predecessor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for carrying out forced evictions without proper solutions by only offering them replacement housing in low-cost apartments, which he said was only “a small part of all aspects of life”.
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) lawyer Nelson Nikodemus Simamora, however, said Anies was no different from his predecessor.
“It’s just the same approach used by the previous [city administration]. Only the language they use is different,” he said, referring to a subtle term penataan (arrangement) used by Anies’ office instead of penggusuran (eviction), a more straightforward term used by the previous city administration.
He deplored the administration for failing to engage residents in talks before carrying out evictions, and most importantly offer a proper solution for them to make an adequate living posteviction.
“Forced eviction is a human rights violation. Evictees not only lose their houses but also access to work, education and everything else,” he told the Post on Tuesday.
Evictions should involve two-way communication between the administration and residents, not violence, he said.
The deputy head of the City Council’s Commission D overseeing development, Nova Harivan Paloh, said the approach indicated poor planning on the part of the city administration.
“The officials should have discussed it [with evicted residents]. Not rushed [through the plan]. It shows a lack of planning and effort,” said the NasDem Party politician.
Commission D member Viani Limardi from the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) said the eviction was contradictory to a statement Anies made during his election campaign in 2017.
“What about the communication [between the administration and residents] that he promised [in his campaign]?” she said.
Viani acknowledged that relocation was inevitable in some areas that were illegally occupied, but emphasized that engaging residents should be part of the solution in relocation “for the sake of humanity”.
“[Relocation] is for public interest, but don’t evict using violence,” she said.
Commission D secretary Syarif of the Gerindra Party defended Anies, saying the administration had greatly decreased forced evictions over the past two years, both in terms of the number of cases and the approach used.
“We have to appreciate [the administration] for better execution. Let alone from what I’ve heard, there have been discussions with residents regarding the solution after [relocation],” he claimed.
Syarif cited the governor’s goal for public participation through city programs, including the revitalization of slum
areas through the Community Action Plan (CAP) and the Collaborative Implementation Plan (CIP).
Anies issued Gubernatorial Decree No. 878/2018 on village management, which lists 21 kampungs to be rehabilitated, under which temporary shelters were built in Kampung Kunir and Kampung Akuarium, the residents of which were evicted in 2015 and 2016, respectively, while settlements are being developed according to residents’ specifications outlined in their CAP.
“The administration has considered more tolerant approaches [to revitalize slum areas],” he said.
