Delay evacuating shops owners: Legislators

Delay evacuating shops owners: Legislators

JAKARTA (JP): Legislators have asked the government to
postpone the evacuation of 100 shop owners in the Chinatown
district.

Legislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party faction sent
a letter to the West Jakarta mayor yesterday asking him to delay
the Jan. 31 deadline to move the shop owners out of their
premises.

In the letter, a copy of which was made available to The
Jakarta Post, the legislators requested the government first
settle the dispute between the shop owners and PT Binacitra
Tataswati, a company appointed by city-owned PD Pasar Jaya to
manage the Glodok Metro Bridge, a city-owned property where the
100 shop owners run their businesses.

Mayor Sutardjianto sent a letter to the shop owners on Jan.
24, instructing them to vacate the premises.

At issue was a dispute over the amount of rental at the
premises. PT Binacitra's offer of Rp 20 million to Rp 22 million
per square meter for 20 years was considered too high by the shop
owners.

Looming over the dispute is the government's plan to build a
three-level freeway in the district that may see the walkway
demolished.

Last month, the shop owners expressed their grievances to the
House of Representatives.

In their letter, the legislators said that a previous plan to
hold a gathering to seek a solution to the dispute had never
happened.

It also said that their earlier request for an explanation
about PT Binacitra's legal dealings with PD Pasar Jaya had not
been addressed.

But PT Binacitra's lawyer O.C. Kaligis told the Post yesterday
that he had met with legislators in the House.

The shop owners plan to file two lawsuits today, one against
the mayor and the other requesting the cancellation of the
appointment of PT Binacitra by PD Pasar Jaya.

Shop owners told the Post that the vagueness of PT Binacitra
Tataswati's existence as the newly appointed management of the
property, in addition to the exorbitant rent demanded by the
company, has aroused suspicion among them.

"We aren't fighting for political influence, nor are we
demanding any rights. Just clarity about our future," a shop
owner told the Post. (14)