Jakarta Civil Coalition Urges Anies Baswedan to Fulfill Vow on Free Beaches

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta People's Struggle Coalition (KOPAJA) demanded Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan fulfill his vows to provide free access for residents to beaches along the city’s coastline.

“Jakarta people cannot yet access free clean beaches along the 32-kilometers coastline,” said KOPAJA member from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Jeanny Silvia Sari Sirait, at City Hall, Central Jakarta, Friday, April 22.

Additionally, Jeanny highlighted ongoing agrarian conflicts that have not been resolved to date. The conflict is in the form of expropriation of residential spaces and island privatization. Intimidation and criminalization as experienced by residents of Pari Island of the Thousand Islands also existed.

There were also the sea wall project which was considered to be a threat to the income sources of traditional fishermen.

“The provincial government lacks an attempt to correct the monopoly of corporate control in small islands which eliminates fishing grounds for fishermen,” Jeanny remarked.

She also mentioned that the draft of regional regulation (Raperda) on the zoning plan for coastal areas and small islands (RZWP3K) lacked public participation and removed the areas where traditional fishermen relied on for living.

Jeanny argued that the draft bill actually revived the reclamation project which was integrated with the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) program.

Read: Jakarta Coalition Urges Anies Baswedan to Fix 9 City Problems

LANI DIANA WIJAYA