Condemning illegal kiosks

Condemning illegal kiosks

The condemning of the traders' kiosks at Taman Puring, South
Jakarta by the Jakarta Administration is clearly a repressive
action reminding us of the New Order regime.

It is true that without a good spatial arrangement and
adequate supervision, the burgeoning of kiosks in greenbelt areas
can get out of control and disturb public order. Many traders
occupy whole sidewalks, making it impossible for pedestrians to
use the facility earmarked for them. Any action to put order into
the situation is only sporadically done and the city
administration never cares to think about the essence of the
problem, so the problem continues to recur.

In consideration of the economic crisis, the city
administration should consider that the emergence of kiosks of
small traders at Taman Puring is the result of a need, so
condemning the kiosks at Taman Puring will only lead to the
emergence of other kiosks at other places. It would be wiser on
the part of the city administration to give some space to small
traders at Taman Puring, providing a better spatial arrangement
and exercising strict supervision in a continuous way so that the
park's function as a greenbelt and a city garden is not hampered.

I am convinced that the number of visitors to Taman Puring has
increased since the existence of the kiosks. The city
administration should make a breakthrough in such a way that the
kiosks of the small traders step up the function of Taman Puring
as a city garden.

It is regrettable that the councilors of the city
administration (DPRD DKI) have not studied the problem of Taman
Puring in depth and only superficially demand that the city
gardens that have changed their function be rearranged. They show
an insensitiveness toward the problems of the urban population
and a lack of creativity.

It is hoped that Jakarta governor Sutiyoso will rethink his
policy and Mayor Abdul Mufti will not foreclose the possibility
to review his decisions prohibiting Taman Puring as a place for
trading.

AMIR SIDHARTA

Jakarta