Council to look after small-scale traders<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The City Council reminded officials that its
\nmembers would directly supervise the implementation of the
\nimminent new bylaw on privately-owned shopping centers which will
\ntake effect in January next year, a councillor said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Chairman of Commission B for economic affairs Syarief
\nZulkarnaen Ginting said after a hearing with officials from the
\ncity's Regional Economic Development Bureau office that he and
\nhis fellow councillors wanted a gesture from private shopping
\ncenter operators that they would help support small-scale
\ntraders.<\/p>\n
Under the new draft, which is to replace City Bylaw No. 8\/1992
\non the same matter, all privately-run shopping centers -- with a
\nminimum size of 200 square meters -- are no longer allowed to
\ndodge their obligation to provide 20 percent of their building's
\nspace to small-scale traders with forms of compensation, such as
\ngiving space to the traders at other unpopular sites or
\nconstructing buildings specifically for public use.<\/p>\n
Article 12 of the existing bylaw allows operators to avoid
\nsuch obligations by compensating in other ways.<\/p>\n
Syarief cited the Rp 300 million (US$32,600) fee provided to
\nthe city administration by the Carrefour hypermarket as
\ncompensation for its failure to meet obligations to provide 20
\npercent of its space for small traders at its new 6,350 square-
\nmeter outlet on Jl. M.T. Haryono in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The operator, he said, only provided some 200 square meters of
\nits area in the outlet's basement to small-scale traders.<\/p>\n
Syarief also said the City Council had observed that most of
\nthe private shopping centers in the capital still paid less
\nattention to the small traders.<\/p>\n
\"They have made no effort at all to accommodate and encourage
\nsmall-scale traders to scatter their businesses around these
\nplaces,\" said Syarief.<\/p>\n
During the hearing, councillor Haim Hamadin of the National
\nMandate Party (PAN) faction questioned the practice of several
\nminimarket operators, such as Indomart, which have been operating
\nat residential housing complexes.<\/p>\n
\"They (minimarkets) pose a major threat to traditional vendors
\nin the housing complexes,\" said Haim, citing repeated complaints
\nreceived by the council from operators of small shops in the
\ncapital who claimed their declining revenue was due to the
\npresence of the minimarket outlets in their nearby business
\nplaces.<\/p>\n
Another councillor, Agus Darmawan of PAN, shared the same
\nopinion saying the minimarkets offered most products, which had
\ndeleted the traditional distribution chains.<\/p>\n
\"It's a monopoly practice. The city administration should also
\nconsider such malpractice in the new regulation,\" said Agus. (07)<\/p>",
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