However, the governor said he would not ban people from coming to Jakarta but would urge them not to live in slum areas.
"I have no problem with newcomers in Jakarta. Jakarta as the capital city is surely attractive to the people, but they should not live in slum areas or in illegal buildings because we plan to set things right regarding these slum areas and illegal buildings," Ahok stated at the City Hall here on Tuesday.
The Jakarta governor clarified that his office will collect data on the number of newcomers in Jakarta, but not through any "Yustisi Operation" (legally carried out raids). Instead, the data will be gathered through a population improvement program.
"We predict that there will be some 70 thousand newcomers in Jakarta. If we find that they do not have jobs, we will send them back to their hometowns," he stressed.
Ahok, who is also a former district head of Belitung Timur, called on these newcomers to equip themselves with skills so that they can compete with city residents.
He clarified that he could not provide adequate apartments for newcomers because these are only made available to old residents of Jakarta.
"There are still a lot of economically weak people in Jakarta who still need proper accommodation. Therefore, we give priority to elderly residents, particularly those who are poor, when it comes to apartments," the governor emphasized.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
