Barbed wire, iron gate business booming<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Unlike many other commercial activities, the
\nbusiness of iron gates and barbed wires in the capital has been
\nbooming since the May 1998 riots and is mainly due to
\nskyrocketing demands by wealthy Jakartans.<\/p>\n
Although the prices have at least doubled by producers and
\ntraders, many property owners insist on shielding their assets
\nsuch as mansions, shops and business centers, with high gates and
\nbarbed wires in an all-out effort to protect their belongings
\nfrom being touched or torched by mobs after what many Jakartans
\nexperienced last year.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Monday, businessmen dealing in
\nthe production, design and installation of the iron gates and
\nbarbed wires said orders doubled especially right after the May
\n1998 uproar and in these weeks ahead of the upcoming June general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"Until today, the orders keep flowing in,\" said a
\nrepresentative of Gampang Ingat iron gate shop which sells the
\npopular Varia brand name on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Monthly orders at the shop have now tripled to 30 gates,
\ncompared to 10 sold each month before the May 1998 riots rocked
\nthe capital, said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
He explained the total price charged for installation and
\npainting of iron gates currently ranges from Rp 700,000
\n(US$87.50) to Rp 1.1 million per square meter.<\/p>\n
\"Most Jakartans, especially those residing in West and South
\nJakarta, apparently do not care about this (price),\" he added.<\/p>\n
To date, hundreds of May 1998 riot-torn buildings with broken
\nwindows and burned facades are still easily spotted in and around
\nthe capital.<\/p>\n
The 1998 riots, the largest which ever took place in the
\nhistory of Jakarta, claimed over a thousand lives and caused
\nlosses totaling billions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
Such grim sceneries are still witnessed in Cengkareng and
\nalong Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and in Kalideres in West
\nJakarta, and Cileduk and Cipete in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I think, those sights are enough to scare them (the wealthy
\nfamilies) to buy (newly-modified) iron gates,\" the representative
\nof Gampang Ingat shop said.<\/p>\n
The sales of barbed wire were also the same.<\/p>\n
Rewo of Dua Saudara shop on Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta in West
\nJakarta said the price of 4-meter barbed wire of standard quality
\nhas climbed to Rp 4,500 from Rp 1,400 previously.<\/p>\n
Special quality barbed wire is now priced at Rp 26,000, nearly
\ndouble than the previous Rp 15,000, he said.<\/p>\n
\"But still, people keep on buying it,\" Rewo said.<\/p>\n
The increased need of iron gates and barbed wires in the city
\nhas also led to a significant hike for raw materials.<\/p>\n
Due to alluring prices, many people have taken a short cut to
\nearn money from the business by stealing anything made of iron,
\nincluding from public facilities, to sell later to iron shops.<\/p>\n
Many giant traffic signs and fixtures at toll roads in and
\naround the capital have gone missing.<\/p>\n
On the Kebon Jeruk-Tangerang toll road, for example, iron
\nsheets installed by the operator to help drivers see by
\ndeflecting strong lights coming from vehicles in opposite lanes,
\nhave also gone missing.<\/p>\n
Amin of Besi Bungur iron shop in Central Jakarta said that the
\n\"supply\" of raw materials has never stopped and therefore, his
\nshop has never rejected any orders.<\/p>\n
\"Our shop always bought the raw materials, no matter how
\nexpensive they were,\" Amin said but did not explain who his
\nsuppliers were.<\/p>\n
According to him, the iron gates or barbed wires are not
\nsimilar with chilies.<\/p>\n
\"People can opt not to buy chilies when its prices go up. But
\ngates?\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It's about protection. Nobody sane wants to be caught in
\nriots... everybody's scared of dying,\" Amin added.<\/p>\n
Some customers even asked for new designs for their gates or
\nbarbed wires which forced shop owners to be more creative to meet
\norders.<\/p>\n
\"There are many who want the ends of wires to be shaped like
\nbunga duri (flower thorns). They believe that this model would
\nscare people off their property,\" Amin said. (ylt\/bsr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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