There has always been an influx of immigrants to Jakarta after the Idul Fitri holiday, but the number of newcomers has varied greatly over the years due to policy changes.
One of the largest post-Idul Fitri immigrations to the capital on record was in 2006, when some 124,000 people arrived in Jakarta looking for a new life. Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who ruled from 1997 to 2007, enacted strict regulations to try and keep newcomers from settling the city, with punishments ranging up to 3 months in prison and Rp 5 million fines to those who immigrated illegally.
Those hardline policies worked to decrease immigration rates and in 2012, only about 50,000 newcomers came to the capital after Idul Fitri.
In 2013, then Governor Joko Widodo removed many of those policies and migrants numbers have risen again, with 68,537 coming to Jakarta in 2014.
Current Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is continuing Jokowi’s softer approach, saying immigrants are welcome. as long as they have or can find work and housing quickly.
Because of this, the government estimates that about 70,393 people will be added to the population of Jakarta over the next week or so.
Jakartans are split on the issue of whether immigrants to the city are a good thing, with a recent survey from Kompas showing that 51.7% that migrants should be prevented from entering the capital after Idul Fitri, while 46.7% said the city should embrace immigrants and the benefits they can bring.
