Disability Won't Stop Your Creativity

“Have a disability body sometimes make you think that you don’t deserve to fight anymore, but this doesn’t happen to Pak Hasanuddin. Although he has lost his lost one leg since he was a child, but he still manage to survive and still manage to fight. He still manage to do some business in the middle of the slum area and he doesn’t want to beg. He wants to work, and he did it. Sometimes we think that we can’t d anything because we doesn’t have a confidence. We should take a look this story so that you will be motivated by his struggle to survive although with one leg only.”

http://www.indeksberita.com/nasib-rusun-penjaringan/

The densely populated neighborhood around Penjaringan consists of a series of startling contrasts: a rabbit warren of houses, shops, food stalls, bars, cafes, workshops, and a red light district, all squeezed into a neighborhood of small lanes and footpaths bordered by a railway line on one side and a major toll road on the other. The lives of the residents ebb and flow in this urban maze. Every month or two, a child is killed while playing on the train tracks. Previously, numerous long-time residents were evicted to allow the construction of Jakarta’s modern toll road. In their place, despite the din and dark under the highway, an illegal squatting community has sprung up consisting of both the displaced residents and newcomers.

The neighborhood and surroundings has an active industrial and factory base which generates consistent housing demand among residents and newcomers. In addition, several hundred sex workers operate in a dense ‘pub and bars’ district, making for busy street life. Due to these diverse activities, associated visitors, and local residents, there is a strong demand for rented rooms, both in the wilayah (Penjaringan’s officially recognized residential district) and in the illegal squatting settlements under the toll road.

It is often assumed that living in an illegal settlement is an option of last resort. Yet, the flamboyant, one-legged Pak Hasanuddin demonstrates that this is not always the case. While he currently lives illegally in a shed under the toll road where he operates his food and vending stall, he also owns a house in the wilayah that he rents to a family. He describes his residential arrangements and vending business:

“I started off just selling cigarettes here. I own my own house in the wilayah but it was better to do business out here, under the bridge. There are a lot more people going by, it’s out near the main road, so I sell more here. Little by little, I expanded: I built up my place, and added a second storey. Eventually, I moved in here and rented out my house in the wilayah. I get Rp 3.5 million (US$ 385) a year for it.

https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/375-jakartas-population-living-below-poverty-line-according-newest-government-statistic/

“A lot of the squatters with houses under the toll road [also] rent out rooms. They aren’t cheap. A good room can go for Rp 500,000 (US$ 55) a month. I also rent out a room above my stall for Rp 200,000 (US$ 22) a month. It’s pretty simple. I suppose the very cheapest room in the area, just enough for somewhere to sleep, no water or anything goes for Rp 100,000 (US$ 11) a month. But you’ve got to understand, there’s always people looking for rooms.

“In addition to potable water, I still sell cigarettes, snacks, kids toys, and food. Actually, I make most of my money from that kind of stuff, not water. I do that more as a service – you know, to help people out. I don’t really make that much money from it. [My monthly income is] enough to survive!”

For Hasanuddin, accessing electric, sanitation, and water services represent both opportunities and impositions.

“We’ve got electricity under the bridge. Electricity is easy. There are lots of middlemen who can arrange it for you for a couple of hundred thousand rupes. All you need is a KTP (official personal identity card). It doesn’t matter what address is on it. I’m still registered as being a resident at my house in the wilayah, so I didn’t have any problems. We have two fridges to keep ice and food [for sale], a television, and lights. We share our [electricity] connection with a few other families on either side of our stall. Everyone puts in a bit at the end of the month to pay for it. Of course, the family with the connection may make a little bit of money out of it for their trouble – but not much, probably not even enough to pay for their own usage, just a little bit extra on the side.

“In the wilayah, there are garbage collectors with carts, who come round every day to take the garbage away. Each household has to pay Rp 5,000 (US$ 0,55) per month. Here, under the toll road, there isn’t a regular service. You have to pay the collectors to come and take away a load of garbage. You pay about Rp 1,000 (US$ 0,11) for a load. Yeah, I suppose it’s a bit more expensive, but I don’t care.

“Water is a bit harder. You can’t get a water connection unless you pay PBB [land and building taxes]. No one under the toll road pays land taxes, so of course no one’s connected to the municipal water supplies. Even the wells are quite far away.

“But at my house in the wilayah, I have a good water connection and a powerful pump. Some places are closer to the pipes, so the water pressure is better. I was lucky. I have a cart here. People come and fill up the water themselves. They have to push the cart back to their own house and then bring it back here. There are people who go around selling jerry cans of water door to door, but they charge more. They charge Rp 2,500 (US$ 0,275) per can. My cart holds six jerry cans, each of which contains 20 liters, and I only charge Rp 4,000 (US$ 0,44) [per cart], but people have to push it themselves. Or they can pay someone else to do it. I don’t deliver. I’ve only got one leg, so I can’t push the cart! I lost the leg when I was hit by a train when I was a kid.

http://tanoto.bubuwork.com/report/chapter-3-breaking-poverty-cycle-through-education/

Because Hasanuddin doesn’t have dedicated bathroom facilities attached to his stall, he uses his water supply and bathes from a large bucket. His wife washes their clothes some distance from the stall, in the wilayah. Like most residents under the toll road who have limited access to water, they usually use communal bathrooms and laundry facilities, which are often privately owned and operated as businesses by households with access to municipal water supplies. Average fees are Rp 500 (US$ 0,055) per bathing and toilet use and Rp 2,000-5,000 (US$ 0,22 – 0,55) for laundry. This represents an extra cost for some residents, particularly poorer residents and transients, while a business opportunity for better established community members.

Countering the assumption that people squat illegally because they have no choice, Hasanuddin stresses that he prefers to live in his stall rather than in his house because of the benefits of the main road’s proximity.

“Out here, it’s right on the main road. Of course that’s better for business. Yeah, people go into the kampung, but you get far more people passing by here. It’s not just me! Look around you! Look over there! [Pointing to a small restaurant adjacent to his stall, also under the bridge on squatted land.] A Padang restaurant, with air conditioning! It’s open 24 hours a day! It’s pretty up market! They get a lot of business from the truck drivers. There are heaps of people passing through this area [Many drivers park transport trucks and vehicles used by factories and warehouses in the nearby streets]. There aren’t any air-conditioned restaurants in the wilayah.”

Hasanuddin has heard that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Settlements has plans to evict residents living under the toll road, but he is not particularly concerned.

“They’ve been talking about evicting us for years, now. Back in 2002, they said they were going to evict us, but nothing happened. And then they said they were going to evict us again in 2004. But we are still here. I don’t think it will happen soon… You couldn’t build a shopping center or proper houses under the toll road here. So they leave us to it.”

When asked if he would move if offered compensation in the form of cash or housing in a high rise flat, he is skeptical. Hasanuddin feels that he has a certain tenure rights and bargaining power with the authorities that will allow him to stay where he is.

“It depends how much they were offering. I think the land here is worth at least Rp 2.5 million (US$ 275) a square meter. If they were offering that much, I’d consider moving. They did talk about a high rise flat. I’d think about it if they gave us ownership titles, but I wouldn’t move if I had to pay rent.”

https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/ahok-wants-government-definition-poverty-improved-even-if-it-increases-percentage-poor/

Despite the kampung’s poor amenities and intense living conditions, Hasanuddin makes clear that there are powerful benefits to Penjaringan’s distinct locational and economic dynamics.

“It’s close to everything. It’s right next to the toll road, and there are cheap buses going everywhere. It’s not like the edge of town, where there aren’t any jobs and there’s nothing to do… There are a lot of opportunities here. It’s a good area to live in.”