Plant sellers protest over expulsion plan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A total of 40 decorative plant traders along Jl.
\nT.B. Simatupang, South Jakarta, went to the City Council
\nyesterday to protest an expulsion order.<\/p>\n
They told members of the Council's Commission A, which is in
\ncharge of government, security and public order affairs, that the
\nSouth Jakarta mayoralty is forcing them to move away next week
\nbecause the site will be used to build gutters.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that the authority give us more time, at least
\nuntil next Idul Fitri holiday when we usually get many orders. We
\nneed time and money to move to the new site,\" said Her Harahap,
\nspokesperson of the delegation.<\/p>\n
She explained that there are 85 traders currently operating
\nalong Jl. T.B. Simatupang who were forced to move from locations
\nin Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta in 1989.<\/p>\n
\"Now we will be forced to move again as the state-owned
\nhighway company PT Bina Marga, the owner of the land, is going to
\nuse the site to build water ducts along the toll roads currently
\nbeing built,\" Harahap said.<\/p>\n
She said that the traders demand more humane treatment as most
\nof them have so far fulfilled their obligations, including paying
\nsanitary fees of between Rp 1,000 (45 US cents) to Rp 2,000 per
\nlocation per day to the Cilandak administration.<\/p>\n
\"Now is not the right time to ask us to move. We don't have
\nany money because plants haven't been selling well due to the
\nlong dry season. We are still waiting for the rainy season,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Lastri, one trader, said that the Cilandak administration has
\nissued an order requiring them to leave the site in seven days,
\notherwise law and order officers will bulldoze their plants.<\/p>\n
She said that the officers who dispensed the eviction orders
\nclaimed to come from Bakorstanasda, the Jakarta office of
\nNational Security Coordinating Agency whose officers have had
\nexperience in handling demolition and eviction activities in
\nother locations.<\/p>\n
\"I begged them for mercy, but one of the officers even asked
\n'who asked you to come to Jakarta?'in return,\" Lastri said.<\/p>\n
The traders also claim they paid between Rp 500,000 to Rp 1
\nmillion each in 1989 to the Cilandak administration in a bid to
\nsecure a location at the site.<\/p>\n
No compensation<\/p>\n
Another trader, Dedi, acknowledged that the South Jakarta
\nmayoralty has provided an area in Srengseng Sawah to accommodate
\nthem.<\/p>\n
\"However this offer has been rejected as it is too far away
\nfrom our customers. And we doubt they would be willing to travel
\nthat far,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also said that most of the sellers are not only selling
\ndecorative plants but also offer services in planting, designing
\nand landscaping in customers' houses.<\/p>\n
Councilor Asaari Fatommy briefed the sellers that the South
\nJakarta mayoralty could not do anything about the plan because
\nthe land is owned by an institution outside its supervision.<\/p>\n
\"I have contacted the deputy mayor, who said that there will
\nbe no compensation. The plan can not be delayed because all the
\nfacilities now under construction are scheduled to be finished by
\nnext March,\" Fatommy said.<\/p>\n
But he called for a peaceful conclusion so as to enable the
\ntraders to save their goods and move to the new site in stages.<\/p>\n
\"Bakorstanasda will not take part in the eviction unless there
\nis a riot threatening people's security,\" Fatommy said, asking
\nthem not to do anything that could provoke physical clashes.
\n(yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/plant-sellers-protest-over-expulsion-plan-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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