June 4, 2024
JAKARTA – Not far from the grandiose Jakarta International Stadium (JIS), known as one of the largest sport venues in Southeast Asia, stands the low-cost Kampung Susun Bayam apartment complex with a capacity to house over 100 families.
Ironically, the neighborhood’s former residents who were evicted to make way for the stadium now live in temporary shelters without adequate access to basic needs, jobs and education.
Furqon, a 45-year-old former resident of Kampung Bayam, told The Jakarta Post on Friday that he never imagined he would be living in conditions diametrically opposite to that of his previous home in the North Jakarta neighborhood.
“Back then, water was very abundant for everyone. We had our own separate water [supply] for farming […] which was the main job for most residents. Meanwhile, water for daily needs was supplied by city-owned water company PAM. We also had access to electricity,” said Furqon, who also heads the local farmers’ group.
Since they were relocated to the temporary shelters on Jl. Tongkol in Ancol, the community of ex-residents relies on a single well. They have also had no choice but to illegally siphon electricity from the power grid, due to lack of government assistance.
Their prolonged displacement has taken a huge toll on the livelihoods of the ex-residents, who now rely on odd jobs to make ends meet. Tens of hectares of their agricultural land have reportedly been leveled to construct the stadium.
“Many residents have been left with no choice but to scavenge [trash] or work on construction sites. If they don’t do that, how are they going to eat?” Furqon said.
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Neneng, 44, is among those whose livelihoods were severely affected by the eviction and relocation.
While she and her fellow neighbors were used to earning a relatively stable income from farming and processing agricultural products for catering services, she now relies on unstable income from informal jobs, such as offering laundry services or selling cakes during special occasions like Idul Fitri.
She also pointed out it was now difficult to access education. “[Since we moved to Jl. Tongkol], it takes longer for my child to reach his school located close to JIS,” Neneng said.
Hundreds of former residents were persuaded to leave their homes in Kampung Bayam and relocate to temporary shelters in 2020 to allow for the stadium’s development. Then-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan pledged to build the low-cost housing complex Kampung Susun Bayam to replace their demolished homes.
Even though the apartment complex was completed in 2022, the residents were barred from moving in. The Jakarta administration, under the new leadership of acting governor Heru Budi Hartono, claimed that some legal matters needed to be settled first.
Disappointed, some of the residents then attempted to occupy the apartment complex in March last year, saying they had an official letter from the previous administration to live there.
In recent months, however, the Jakarta administration allegedly made several visits to Kampung Susun Bayam and intimidated the residents. And then in April, authorities arrested Furqon on charges of theft and illegal occupation of Kampung Susun Bayam.
In May, a joint team comprising members of the National Police, the military and the Jakarta Public Order Agency raided the apartment complex to force the inhabitants to leave.
They finally agreed to return to the temporary shelters on the condition that Furqon was released.
“From the previous 50 families [that lived at Kampung Susun Bayam], only 37 families returned to the temporary shelters on Jl. Tongkol. Others have moved elsewhere because they are still traumatized by the raid,” said Neneng.
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The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is facilitating mediation between the ex-residents and city-owned PT Jakarta Propertindo, which manages Kampung Susun Bayam.
“There was no constructive agreement from the last mediation, only [nonsensical] plans [from the administration]. What is clear is that we have asked the administration to accommodate our right to live,” Furqon said.
He also expressed a wish for the administration to restore his dignity.
The Jakarta Public Works and Housing Agency said recently that it would build a brand-new apartment complex for the former residents of Kampung Bayam, while the Kampung Susun Bayam apartment complex would house the stadium’s operational support staff.
“We have already set up a budget for the new apartments. Don’t worry,” Afan Adriansyah Idris, the agency’s acting head, said on May 29. However, he stopped short of disclosing the new apartments’ location or construction schedule.
Furqon expressed his strong opposition to the plan, saying it would only make things more difficult for his community.
“If the government wants to build new apartments [in a totally new environment], we will have to start all over again, and it’s not easy,” he said.