East Jakarta street vendors say kiosk lottery unfair
East Jakarta street vendors say kiosk lottery unfair
JAKARTA (JP): Nine street vendors filed a complaint with the
city council yesterday, saying they were subject to an unfair
kiosk lottery in East Jakarta.
The vendors from Cililitan filed the complaint with the
council's commission B for economic affairs and blamed the
municipality for their predicament.
The spokesman, Irman, said traders from outside the area had
been given the rights to the kiosks promised to them.
Setting up kiosks for small scale vendors is one of the
municipality's programs to reduce illegal operations on the
streets.
"We have been doing our business there since 1977 and we have
permits from the city," Irman, the spokesman of the vendors said.
"But none of us got a kiosk there," he said.
The traders, who claimed to represent 29 others, said that a
city official did not include their names in the lottery.
They were excluded as the official did not consider them
legitimate traders, Irman said, as their permits had expired.
Reason
"The official just made up the reason," Irman said.
He explained the city held the lottery in July in which 230
kiosks in Cililitan were to be distributed.
However only eight vendors at the location got kiosks.
Irman said each trader had to pay Rp 400,000 for each kiosk.
"All we ask is a chance to open our businesses again because
we are not allowed to do so. We ask you to help us," he said.
The commission told the traders it would summon the related
agencies to settle the matter.
Kiosks for street traders are set up as temporary shelters
pending the construction of proper market sites.
There are a total of 200,000 street vendors throughout the
city, and only 100,000 have been moved from the streets.
The administration has established eight new marketplaces
costing Rp 3.9 billion.
The marketplaces for former vendors are in Jl. Nusa in East
Jakarta, Meruya Ilir and Kalideres in West Jakarta, Tipar Cakung
and Lorong in North Jakarta, Rawa Sawah and Palmerah in Central
Jakarta and Jl. H. Cokong in South Jakarta. (yns)