Jakarta – The People's Coalition Against Evictions (KRMP) has again urged Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to immediately revoke Gubernatorial Regulation (Pergub) Number 207/2016 on Guidelines on the Use and Control of Land Without Entitled Permits.
KRMP representative Jihan Fauziah Hamdi said that the group has raised this issue with Baswedan several times – both through official letters and in face-to-face meetings. In February the KRMP even held a protest action.
Then in April they managed to hold an audience with Baswedan but to this day the governor has not revoked the bylaw which was issued during the era of former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok.
"To this day there has been no response or concrete action carried out by the Jakarta provincial government to revoke Jakarta Pergub 207/2016", said Hamdi at the Jakarta City Hall on Thursday August 4.
Hamdi said that the results of the audience with Baswedan on April 6 was that the Jakarta provincial government would review and discuss the bylaw and would establish a moratorium on forced land evictions until a decision on the bylaw is made.
According to Hamdi there are a several reasons why the KRMP is urging Baswedan to revoke the bylaw.
First, the majority of evictions have been carried out without prior consultation, by using personnel not authorised to do so such as the TNI (Indonesian military) and with intimidation and violence, thereby violating the public's entitlement to obtain rights over land.
Second, land conflicts with corporations and the governments, which have extensive access to the legal instruments, confront urban poor communities that are marginalised.
Third, the bylaw uses power to resolve conflicts instead of pursuing legal procedures and respecting human rights.
Fourth, aside from violating the Law on the TNI, the bylaw violates the stipulations of the international convention on economic, social and cultural rights because it provides no guarantees of protection or fulfillment of the right to housing by justifying forced evictions.
Fifth, Hamdi believes that the bylaw violates the general principles of good governance because there is no legal certainty in the process of establishing land ownership in land disputes.
"Because of this the KRMP is asking for an audience with the Jakarta provincial government to [urge them to] immediately obtain legal certainty and to call in Anies' pledge as Jakarta governor to immediately carry out concrete action in the context of revoking the Pergub 207/2016", said Hamdi. (dmi/tsa)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Warga Kembali Tagih Janji Anies Cabut Pergub Penggusuran Era Ahok".]
