'To earn a living is a basic right'<\/p>\n
The city cooperatives and small and medium enterprises agency
\nrecently admitted that it has no budget to relocate around
\n147,000 registered street vendors and thousands of unregistered
\nones. The vendors have frequently being evicted, and reportedly
\nabused by public order officers in the process. The Jakarta Post
\ntalked to some residents about the issue.<\/p>\n
Niken Ayu Purbasari, 30, works for a non-governmental
\norganization dealing with children's issues. Her office is
\nlocated in Cirendeu, South Jakarta, while she lives in Bekasi:<\/p>\n
Street vendors are usually unaware that their stalls bother
\npedestrians and spoil the view. As long as they feel comfortable
\nin that area, regardless of whether it's dirty and smelly,
\nthey'll stay that way.<\/p>\n
If we want to solve the problem, we should relocate them. A
\nlocation like in Senen, where many street vendors sell books, or
\nin Jatinegara, would suit them.<\/p>\n
As long as the city administration maintains supervision and
\ntells them not to bother people, we should give vendors the
\nchance to earn a living. After all, they're just poor people who
\nare trying to survive.<\/p>\n
Chris, 31, works for an advertising agency in Jakarta. He
\nlives in Duren Tiga area, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
Street vendors have become a problem for this city over the
\nlast five years, but I don't see any solutions coming from the
\ncity administration. Well, the vendors are evicted from time to
\ntime, but you may have noticed that their number -- as well as
\nthe number of locations that they occupy -- is increasing.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the presence of the street vendors actually benefits
\n\"scrupulous\" public order officers.<\/p>\n
If the government really wants the city clean from street
\nvendors, then it should find them jobs. I think it's people's
\nbasic right to earn a living. No one, not even the government,
\ncan stop them from doing business, unless they are offered a
\nbetter way to get a steady income.<\/p>\n
--The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/to-earn-a-living-is-a-basic-right-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }