This is not only Jakarta authority's (responsibility), but the central government must also address the issueJakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) Syarif praised the Jakarta authority's decision to not crack down on non-residents of Jakarta arriving in pursuit of new means of livelihood in the capital city.
"It is better to make Jakarta an open city. Everyone must get the opportunity, yet the access must be everyone's responsibility," Syarif noted here on Friday.
The DPRD Commission D legislator emphasized that newcomers migrating to Jakarta should not be perceived as a burden, but rather, viewed as a potential to develop the city.
The central government must also help regional authorities address urbanisation issues, he noted.
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"This is not only Jakarta authority's (responsibility), but the central government must also address the issue. Residents that are migrating to Jakarta means that the problem is in their regions of origin, for which the responsibility (to address the issue) is not solely in Jakarta's hands," Syarif remarked.
Earlier, Jakarta provincial Population and Civil Records Office head Budi Awaluddin remarked that Jakarta welcomes migrants seeking a new means of livelihood in the capital city.
"We will not crack down on residents, who migrate to Jakarta, as Jakarta belongs to all Indonesians, and everyone can work in Jakarta," he affirmed.
The provincial authority will allow arriving migrants to register their arrival in Jakarta by presenting a report to their community unit (RT) head, he noted.
According to the provincial authority's data, a noticeable decline in migrants' arrival in Jakarta was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-2021 period.
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Some 113,814 migrants arrived in 2020 and 138,740 in 2021, declining from 169,778 migrants recorded in 2019.
The provincial authority estimated that 20 thousand to 50 thousand newcomers will arrive in Jakarta after the 2022 Eid homecoming period as the COVID-19 cases are increasingly coming under control. Jakarta will also record an additional immigrant population of up to 180 thousand people in 2022.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut SW, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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