Govt Urged to Reduce Mass Migration After Idul Fitri

Jakarta (Antara) - The government should come up with measures to manage and reduce mass migration from rural to urban areas after Idul Fitri, said a member of the House of Representatives. "The government should provide information on the assurance of job availability in urban areas," explained member of House's VIII commission Tb Ace Hasan Syadzily on Tuesday. He mentioned that villagers should not migrate to urban areas if they have not secured jobs there. Syadzily explained that preventive measures should be undertaken to prevent villagers from becoming a social burden. If people do not have jobs in cities, social problems would arise; an increase in unemployment rate results in a high crime rate. "The central government should cooperate with regional administration to manage and reduce mass migration from rural to urban areas," he noted. He added that the central government and regional administration should organize economic programs to increase the income levels of the public and develop enterprises in the region such as the Joint Business Group (KUBE) and microcredit loans (KUR). Syadzily said it may not be possible for the government to prevent mass migration since many travelers bring their relatives to cities for a better future, a decent job and a higher income. However, he added that urbanization is a reasonable social phenomenon amid economic conditions. "There is a huge disparity with regard to the development in urban and rural areas in Indonesia," he said, adding that Indonesia is currently facing a great disparity as the country's Gini ratio stands at 0.41 percent. "The returning flow of Idul Fitri travelers would be accompanied by symptoms of mass migration from rural to urban areas," he explained. (*)