Joint Officers Inspect The Cartman In Menteng Area, Central Jakarta

Combined officers from the Central Jakarta Satpol PP and Social Affairs Sub-dept. control the cart man in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta/Photo: Rizky Sulistio/VOI

JAKARTA - The phenomenon of the manusia gerobak (cartman) in the center of Jakarta is difficult to overcome by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. In fact, the number of manusia gerobak is increasing and scattering in several areas, especially around elite housing estates.

Like in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta. A number of homeless people use carts as "emergency houses". And that view is increasingly scattered in the Menteng area.

They often change places. In fact, they sleep on a cart that has been specially designed to be a bedroom with cardboard and plastic sheeting.

Wednesday, April 20, at night, at around 23.00 western Indonesia time, Tarno (54) one of the men who was labeled as a manusia gerobak had a 'nightmare' in his sleep.

Tarno suddenly panicked when his sleep was awakened by the joint officers. With a dull face and a shabby body, Tarno looks angry when he is woken up by officers from his sleep.

"What's wrong, sir? I was sleeping, how come I was brought?" said Tarno in the Menteng area.

Then the man was immediately taken by joint officers into the operational service vehicle (KDO) of the Central Jakarta Social Sub-Department. Tarno was secured by officers to be given social guidance so that he would no longer be abandoned on the side of the road.

It is known that Tarno previously lived under the flyover bridge on Latuharihari street, Menteng District. Tarno admitted that he had been living in a cart for several months because he could not afford the rent in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Tarno's cart was secured by Satpol PP for data collection.

"We do this to humanize those who sleep on the streets and in carts. We humanize them by providing guidance and later the expertise will be distributed by the Central Jakarta Social Sub-dept.," said Central Jakarta Head of Central Jakarta Satpol PP Bernard Tambunan to VOI at the control site.

Bernard ensured that the control activities against homeless people and PMKS were not related to the planned demonstration in Central Jakarta on Thursday, April 21.

"This is a routine activity, we only secure Central Jakarta from PMKS. So we are doing it so that the manusia gerobak do not increase again, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. We will continue to do this activity in the future," he explained.

The operation was carried out at a number of points in the Menteng area and will continue to the Tanah Abang area.

"Card people, don't do it again. Don't use carts as a place to live, we'll do some coaching," said Bernard.