Glodok computer vendors open new business<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At least 200 computer vendors whose shops in
\nGlodok, West Jakarta, were looted and burned during the mid-May
\nriots are back in business, albeit with scant capital and stocks.<\/p>\n
For them, an immediate resurrection is more important to start
\nrecycling their cash flows than taking a wait-and-see attitude.<\/p>\n
\"We can't just sit down and mourn our bad luck forever. We
\nneed money now. Yes, we could survive with our savings but they
\nwill be soon gone,\" said a female shop owner, who refused to be
\nnamed.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, we believe that the political situation, and the
\neconomic too, will recover sooner or later,\" she added.<\/p>\n
One hundred vendors are currently busy setting up their new
\nsites at Mangga Dua Mall and another 40 at the Dusit Mangga Dua
\nHotel shopping arcade, both on Jl. Mangga Dua Raya, and the
\nremaining at the Gajah Mada Plaza, Jl. Gajah Mada; all are in
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, only half of the vendors at the first two sites
\nhad started operations by yesterday.<\/p>\n
Many even seemed a bit hesitant to talk to journalists, who
\nattended yesterday's soft opening of the Orion Mangga Dua
\ncomputer center at Dusit's shopping arcade.<\/p>\n
Only a few were willing to talk and they asked for anonymity.<\/p>\n
The new site is specially designed to accommodate mostly
\ncomputer vendors, who used to run their businesses at Orion Plaza
\nand 21 Plaza in Glodok before they were burned.<\/p>\n
The female trader said she financed her comeback in the
\ncomputer business by using her own savings and with some help
\nfrom relatives.<\/p>\n
\"I did not try to get a loan from a bank. You know, it'll be
\nvery hard to get a loan at this time,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said it cost at least Rp 200 million just to get a new
\nsite and a few items to put on display.<\/p>\n
\"Can you imagine how hard it is for a not-so-financially
\nstrong vendor like me to cope with the demand of getting back on
\ntrack? Because I'm still weighed down by my Rp 1 billion loss
\nfrom the recent riot which my insurance company has refused to
\ncover.\" she said.<\/p>\n
Enthusiast<\/p>\n
Another vendor, however, decided to buried the past and be
\nenthusiastic about his comeback.<\/p>\n
He said the prospects of the business was still good because
\nmore and more people need computers at this time.<\/p>\n
\"I hope the customers will understand about the current high
\nprices of computers and their accessories.<\/p>\n
\"Prices have jumped by two or three times since the monetary
\ncrisis due to the fluctuation of our currency rate,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The price of a very modest computer set is now Rp 6 million,
\nthree times more expensive than the price in December.<\/p>\n
A ribbon for a black-and-white printer is now offered at Rp
\n300,000, from between Rp 30,000 and Rp 50,000 before the monetary
\ncrisis that hit the country in July last year.<\/p>\n
Sony Kusumo, spokesman for the group of vendors who moved into
\nOrion Mangga Dua and Mangga Dua Mall, strongly believed that the
\ndemand of computers would remain relatively good amid the
\neconomic turmoil in the years to come.<\/p>\n
\"We signed up for a five-year contract here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Good news for vendors is that management of the building gave
\nthem a lower rate for rental fees, which was Rp 50,000 per square
\nmeter instead of its official tariff of US$50 per square meter,
\nSony said.<\/p>\n
He said that many of the city's computer vendors were not
\nexpect good business this year because they had projected their
\ntotal sales would likely drop by 80 percent due to a sharp
\ndecline in customer buying power.<\/p>\n
Another senior vendor, who also refused to be named, said that
\nwhat the traders -- most of whom are Chinese-Indonesians --
\nneeded most for the continuation of their businesses was a
\nguarantee that there would be no further riots.<\/p>\n
\"We have decided not to flee the country and have restarted
\nour businesses, just like the government asked us to.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe it's impossible to ask for a guarantee for our security
\nbut at least the authorities should promise that they will never
\nlet the same thing happen again,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A member of management for Orion Mangga Dua and Mangga Dua
\nPlaza, Rano Jap, said his office \"could not give a 100 percent
\nguarantee that the buildings would not be affected by other
\nriots\".<\/p>\n
\"But as you can see for yourself, we saved the buildings from
\nbeing looted or burned by mobs during the May riots. So what we
\ncan offer here is a promise that we'll always do our best to save
\nthe building,\" he said. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/glodok-computer-vendors-open-new-business-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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