Enactment of The Jakarta Regional Bylaw No8/2007

I was truly saddened to see news reports of people giving money to the beggars getting fined and getting apprehended.

I never thought that the local government would enact such a law, I am aware of the problems of beggars and the homeless roaming about in Jakarta and I do agree that a serious measure is needed to ensure that many of them do not come to Jakarta or those that exploit our kindness are punished. But to be punished for being kind itself is truly and utterly appaling.

First off, this law is breaching our rights to discern and determine the type of help that we would like to give to those who are in need.

Secondly, it is crippling the thought process of our next generation on being kind towards one another regardless of their social pedigrees by generalizing that all street beggars are not to be helped, preaching kindness is hard enough as it is but by enacting this law we are saying to the young that if you see a hungry person (alas by our own judgement he or she is truly hungry) you must not give them anything, you must leave them to rot on the streets.

Third, the problem of escalation, the number of the poor would not get any lower any time soon hence the number of the poor would almost definitely increase. Whilst we inhibit their source of income by enacting this law which would also affect street vendors, newspaper selling boys/girls, they have to find another route of getting money enough to eat the easiest solution to them being uneducated and socially inept would only to turn into a life of crime, even if they get caught they would enjoy at least having a roof over their head when arrested what would they have to lose.

It is a sad day for humanity when an act of kindness in its most basic form by giving to one and another is being rewarded with a punishment.

One of the alternative to this law is to appeal to the public to channel their kindness through social foundation, this has to be a marketing campaign done much like any social or election campaigns to instill the thought of helping on a larger scale rather than diminishing the right to help beggars with a hands on approach.

The other alternative is setting up a free hotline for people to report sightings of beggars with irregularities (those that seems to be able bodied) and "gepengs" (especially violent ones), street sellers on the highways etc...

That way our rights are not violated but rather people are educated to do the right thing