VCD vendors demand right to operate<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Dozens of street vendors evicted from the front of the Harco
\nshopping center in Glodok, West Jakarta, staged a rally on
\nMonday, demanding they be allowed to reopen their businesses in
\nthe area or be given an appropriate solution to their problems.<\/p>\n
Robert Nainggolan, head of the vendors' association, led the
\nprotest at the center which spans the road between Harco and the
\nGlodok electronic center.<\/p>\n
"We demanded the administration clarify the raid by the city
\npublic order agency and find us a solution if we are no longer
\nallowed to open businesses here. We also asked the city order
\nofficials to return our seized merchandise," he said after
\nopening the rally with the Indonesian national anthem.<\/p>\n
The vendors also questioned the agreement made with the West
\nJakarta municipality in 2000 which stated they could remain in
\nbusiness in that particular spot but had to keep it tidy and
\norganized.<\/p>\n
Tomas, one of the street vendors, told The Jakarta Post that
\nthe association had tried to model itself on Jl. Malioboro in
\nYogyakarta, "but only a few of the 600 vendors can afford the
\nexpense of making semi-permanent stalls."<\/p>\n
Around 150 of the registered vendors were university
\ngraduates, he said.<\/p>\n
The demonstration only attracted the attention of a few
\npeople, including passers-by and Harco tenants, while public
\norder officers and several policemen, deployed to keep the
\nvendors from returning, were on guard.<\/p>\n
The public order officers bulldozed the area on Dec. 9 at 10
\np.m. as the vendors celebrated Idul Fitri. Besides losing their
\nmarket and jobs, they also lost their merchandise.<\/p>\n
The former market on Jl. Gajah Mada under the Harco shop-
\nbridge, was well known for selling cheap pirated video compact
\ndiscs (VCDs) and cassettes. Street vendors on nearby Jl. Hayam
\nWuruk escaped the raids.<\/p>\n
Tomas said that a VCD vendor had lost property worth around Rp
\n800,000 (US$89), not including the wooden display rack, while a
\nsoft drink vendor had lost around Rp 500,000. All were unsure if
\ntheir property would be returned.<\/p>\n
Another vendor, who asked for anonymity, suspected shop owners
\nfrom Harco were behind the raid. He said they disliked the
\nvendors because they obstructed the entrance to their shops and
\nhad caused traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
"I fear this could spark a fight between the street vendors
\nand the shop owners if the administration fails to give a
\nguarantee that we can reopen our businesses soon here," he told
\nthe Post.<\/p>\n
Another VCD vendor, Saragih, said the raid was part of
\nadministration efforts to prevent non-Jakartans from entering the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
"I heard the Idul Fitri bonus we had collected for the city
\norder officers did not reach them. But such raids always take
\nplace three days or one week after Idul Fitri," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/vcd-vendors-demand-right-to-operate-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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