JAKARTA: Last month, 41-year-old Fitriyenni and her family of four moved from their rusty, zinc-roofed house in a small, densely populated alley in West Jakarta to her in-laws’ house a few metres away.
“The roof was leaking, so we decided to move to the house of my parents-in-law, which has a proper roof,” said Fitriyenni, who goes by one name.
Her small two-storey home, which also has some zinc walls, is no longer liveable, Fitriyenni told CNA. She is not repairing her roof at the moment due to financial constraints.
Fitriyenni welcomed Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s plan, announced earlier this month, to replace all zinc-roofed houses in the country with clay tiles within the next three years.
“If it’s for free, then thank God. It’s like getting a house makeover,” she said.
Prabowo framed the programme as a push for cooler and more beautiful homes. “I see in all cities, almost all villages, there are lots of zinc roofs,” he said during a national coordination meeting between the central and regional governments on Feb 2 in Bogor, West Java.
“Zinc is hot for residents, and it also rusts. So, Indonesia wouldn’t be beautiful if all roofs were made of zinc,” he said.
The programme to replace all zinc roofs in Indonesia will be called “gentengisasi” or “roofing” in English. Genteng is Indonesian for tile roof .
Replacing rusty zinc roofs with tile roofs would make the landscape more orderly and clean, thereby attracting tourists, said Prabowo.
“Why would foreign tourists come to see rusty zinc? Rust is a symbol of degeneration. I hope that in two to three years, Indonesia will no longer be rusty,” he said.
“Indonesia is rising, Indonesia must be strong, Indonesia must be beautiful,” he said, reiterating the message on Feb 13 at an event in Jakarta on Indonesia’s 2026 economic outlook.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-roof-replacement-zinc-clay-tile-prabowo-5928381
