TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama reiterated that ever since the idea was first proposed by Jakarta's former Governor Sutiyoso, the subsidized flats in Kampung Muara were built to house fishermen and their families who were affected by government mandated relocations.
However, since each unit is also property that could be bought and sold, many middle-class citizens who could actually afford to live elsewhere purchased the units.
"The majority of residents in these flats are no longer fishermen and their families, so we shake things up a bit," said Basuki at the City Hall on Thursday, April 28, 2016.
"We’re charging an hourly rate for parking," said Basuki, which makes living in the subsidized less economical - especially for middle class citizens who own private vehicles. According to Basuki, once the unintended residents begins to leave and sell their subsidized flats, his Administration will quickly move in to seize the flats, and return the units to fishermen and other members of the lower socio-economic bracket.
The Head of Jakarta's Head of Public Building and Housing, Ika Lestari Aji, concurs with Governor Basuki and said that the subsidized flats in the Kampung Muara are among the ones whose titles are often misappropriated through illegal sales.
Because the majority of the flats are now occupied by middle-class citizens, said Ika, Jakarta residents who actually qualify for subsidized housing - for example, residents who were relocated from illegal slums along the banks of Ciliwung River, but are legally listed as residents of Jakarta - the government often faces difficulties in finding alternative housing for those who actually needs housing the most.
"We're going to discuss this tomorrow, and we're going to make sure that every resident in Kampung Muara flats is registered resident of Jakarta," said Ika. "Right now we are in still the middle of surveying the residents - but we are going to make sure that these subsidized flats will be returned to those who were relocated from the banks of Ciliwung River."
Ika said that her agency is mulling to post the identities of each and every resident of Kampung Muara subsidized flats at all of its entry gates. The government also plans set up random inspections every month, to validate the identity - and thus, right to reside - of the resident in each and every unit.
Such initiative has been done at the subsidized flats in West Jatinegara - and in the future, the system will be applied across 23 more subsidized flats across the Capital to ensure that these subsidized residences, are not being taken advantaged of by financially-capable residents.
MAWARDAH NUR HANIFIYANI