From the Misunderstanding of Social Assistance (Bansos) Data Collection to Illegal Building Raids

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

A population census officer wakes a scavenger who is fast asleep on the banks of Krukut River, Central Jakarta, Monday (28/9/2020). This activity is the last data collection in the population census in Jakarta in 2020.

Monday (28/9/2020) evening. It was pitch black on the banks of the Krukut River, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. "Excuse me. Sorry, Sir. I\'m a census officer. Sir, wake up. Sir, wake up,” cried the officer. Endang, 48, the father in question, slept soundly on a small bench accompanied by dangdut music.

Flashlight, the officer\'s cry, and the large number of mosquitoes on that stuffy night did not bother Endang at all. Maybe he was deep in a dream.

Endang only woke when his body was shaken strongly by a relative. Still half conscious, he was confused because in front of him there was a census officer holding a pen and paper while occasionally highlighting his face with the flashlight.

Also read: Life without ”Citizen” Status

The officer patiently explained the purpose of his visit. In confusion, Endang forgot the address of where he lived. This was the first experience for the scavenger where the census officer made documentation on him.

"I don\'t know the meaning of the census. When I woke up, I was happy. I thought I was registered to be given social assistance (Bansos),” said the man from Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The officer moved away around 10 meters. One family fell asleep with a five-year-old child in between. The sweat on the face did not reduce the comfort of the little family\'s sleep. They slept soundly in the hut made of tarpaulin, which was used as a billboard measuring about 1 meter by 2 meters.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

A census officer records a resident on the banks of Kali Krukut, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, Monday (9/28/2020) night.

The hut was so narrow that at first glance, it seemed as if it was only occupied by one person. There the officers in turn called and continued to wake the family. Almost 10 minutes passed, no one was awake yet.

A police officer securing the census then approached them. Only then did the head of the family wake up after the police officer heightened the tone of his voice several times.

” Sorry, we\'re census officers. We will make a record briefly, sir. You can sleep again later,” said the census officer.

Also read: Let’s Make Good Use of 2020 Census

Krukut River’s banks were one of a number of locations visited by the census officers in five administrative cities and one regency in Jakarta.

The data recording was conducted by visiting the marginalized in the Capital City with the aim of completing the population data collection. The population census throughout the country, including in Jakarta, has been carried out through the online system since February. Meanwhile, the direct census of the population was carried out in September.

Sorry, we\'re census officers. We will make a record briefly, sir. You can sleep again later

In Jakarta, the census for marginalized residents began last Monday at 10 p.m. to midnight. In the Tanah Abang district, the officers targeted the locations along the Krukut River road. The homeless people who were surveyed were scattered in three subdistrict, namely Kebon Kacang, Kebon Melati, and Kampung Bali.

The census journey that night seemed to enter another reality in Jakarta. The officers had a unique and heartbreaking experience. They finalized preparations at the Tanah Abang district office armed with personal protective equipment -- masks, hand sanitizers, and face shields -- as well as data books, flashlights and raincoats. The journey to the starting point of the census was about 500 meters from the district office by motorcycle.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

Population census officers record residents who live on the banks of Krukut River, Central Jakarta, Monday (9/28/2020) night.

Upon arrival at the first point, a middle-aged man slept on the side of the road near the river. When the officer explained, the man opened the bag and handed him his identity card (KTP). His name was Juniarto. He was 52 years old.

He said he had a house to share with his daughter in Petamburan, Tanah Abang. The last month, he left home. "I do not want to continue to be in quarrel with my daughter. Rather than causing pain and hurting the feeling, I just stay here,” he said. He was considered a burden for the daughter’s family economy.

The census officers later shifted to register other residents on the riverbanks of the Kebon Kacang subdistrict area. After an hour there, the officer went to the Kebon Melati subdistrict area. In one location, many residents laid on the side of the road on mats.

Also read: Census Result Can Improve Voters List

Their huts were right on the river banks, covered in a concrete fence. The number of family members in the area called the Tanggul Gedung Ijo was quite plentiful.

"Don\'t be surprised, sir, if suddenly there are so many people. Some of them have not yet gotten out of their huts,” said one resident when approached by the census officers.

There, each family has an average of more than three children who are still in school. They scavenged with an income of Rp 70,000 to Rp 80,000 every 10 days. They claimed to be former residents of the side of the railroad that have been displaced by the widening of Tanah Abang Station.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

A census officer recorded data on a resident of Krukut River, Central Jakarta, Monday (28/9/2020) night.

Fear of being recorded

The process of the data recording that night in the Kebon Melati area was relatively smooth. This was because some residents who lived in the area had already been informed by the regional administrators, whether they were subdistrict offices, RW neighborhood community, or RT neighborhood unit, that they would be visited by census officers at night.

It was different when the census officers arrived at Kampung Bali, precisely on the back side of Tanah Abang Station. There were some residents who fled. One of the residents who built a hut in the area also disappeared when the officers arrived.

The officers stayed there for about 10 minutes while looking for the residents in question. The officers continued to call and direct the flashlight to various corners of the bridge to the bushes on the river banks.

"Come on, enough, just let them go. It\'s dangerous if they get increasingly scared and plunge into the river," said one of the officers.

Also read: Majority of People don’t Know about 2020 Census

Members of the Tanah Abang district law and order unit explained that some residents were afraid of being visited by the officers. This was because where they lived were often the target of illegal building raids.

According to the head of the Jakarta office of the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Buyung Airlangga, the population census officers principally visited the physical buildings of houses occupied by families. Monday night\'s data collection was aimed at recording citizens with temporary residence.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

The population census officer recorded data on a family on the banks of the Krukut River, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Monday (28/9/2020) night.

"Therefore, we are trying to complete and finalize the registration of all people who live in Jakarta," said Buyung. The Population Census 2020 began last February with an online census. In the online census, each individual updated their own data through a page prepared by BPS. "After that, we collect data from house to house of the residents. This is for those who have registered online so that there is verification and also for others who have not registered," said Buyung.

The population census in Jakarta involved about 6,000 officers. Work during the Covid-19 pandemic requires high vigilance by census officers when interacting with residents in the field.

During a pandemic, we have difficulty finding officers because we do not want this census to be a carrier for the pandemic.

The officers go through a rigorous selection process during the recruitment. Those who pass the selection and take part in the census must be confirmed to be free of Covid-19 based on the results of a quick test.

"During a pandemic, we have difficulty finding officers because we do not want this census to be a carrier for the pandemic. If during the rapid test there is a reactive candidate, we have to find a new one. So, we made the recruitment many times,” said Buyung. Another obstacle was that some people were reluctant to accept the officers. Sometimes the officers had to convince the public before taking record on them.

Some of the heavy population census processes in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic may have been passed. Marginalized and sidelined people who are often missed in development amidst the glittering capital city have been approached and recorded.

Hopefully this data collection will bring great benefits, including for the homeless people in Krukut River who have been awakened in the middle of the night.