Research by UGM students has revealed public misconceptions about people living on the banks of the Ciliwung River, Jakarta. So far, the community living along the Ciliwung River has often been exposed to the negative stigma of slum dwellers. Those who live there are seen as helpless, dependent on the city, and even stigmatized as evil and stupid. However, the results of research conducted by a group of students from the UGM Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) debunked this stigma.
The team consists of Muhammad Affan Asyraf, Zahra Auliani Fauziatunnisa, and Tabitha Raviola Bunga Inezwara. Their research successfully received funding in the Student Creativity Program (PKM) in the field of Social Humanities Research in 2021.
Their research examined a case study of the Kampung Bidara Cina community in Jatinegara, DKI Jakarta. Using ethnographic research methods, they involved 13 informants, ranging from old to young age groups.
Tabitha et al. found that the people along the Ciliwung River have potential. They have the capability. They have values and norms that are adhered to through historical experience and the learning process from their environment. They have rationalization, which can take the form of aspirations.
They also found that the community along the Ciliwung River can adapt to face problems in the physical and social environment. Tabitha et al. found that this adaptability represents great potential for communities to maintain sustainability and improve living conditions.
The community’s ability or potential to refute the negative stigmas of slum dwellers has so far not been exposed to the public. Tabitha et al. indicated that this was due to weak capital and political conditions.
“However, the weak capital condition and political power is why this potential cannot be immediately seen, and it seems like it is just knowledge without implications,” said Zahra, one of the students.
So far, due to misconceptions, people tend to blame the Ciliwung River community for the floods that hit Jakarta. Tabitha et al. revealed that when the community was evicted from the banks of the river, they often experienced repressive actions from government officials.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21528-miskonsepsi-publik-pada-masyarakat-bantaran-kali-ciliwung
