Evicted street vendors want to resume operations

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of street vendors who had been evicted from Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta visited the City Council on Wednesday, asking for the legislators' help to force the city administration to allow them start trading again.

"We can manage ourselves properly if we are allowed. We won't cause traffic jams," vendors' association chairman Flator Tambunan said during the meeting with the council.

He condemned the administration for evicting the vendors on Sunday morning even though the Council had earlier asked the administration to hold discussions with the traders first.

More than 1,000 street vendors, however, were forcibly evicted from in and around the bus terminal. The city transportation agency chief, Rustam Effendi, claimed that the vendors had been informed about the plan beforehand.

Councillor Aziz Matnur of the Justice Party said on Wednesday that the city administration should talk to vendors before conducting any other eviction operations.

"We will also inspect the Pulo Gadung terminal and discuss the matter with the vendors," added Aziz, who is a member of the Council's Commission A for administrative and legal affairs.

Separately, Sutiyoso pledged to continue the administration's policy of raiding street vendors who were considered to be disrupting order and security in public places, including terminals.

"We will allow the vendors to do their jobs, but they must conduct themselves in an orderly manner. They violate other people's rights by creating traffic jams and disorder," Sutiyoso said during a visit to Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta.

He said street vendors also caused losses to their fellow vendors who paid taxes and occupied official stalls, such as those in the Kampung Rambutan terminal.

According to Sutiyoso, the city administration planned to build more stalls in Kampung Rambutan terminal, and also in Pulogadung terminal, for street vendors.

"But of course, the stalls won't be enough for all the street traders. This should be understood," he said without mentioning whether the stalls would be sold or given free of charge to the street traders.

Activist Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who accompanied the vendors on their visit to the City Council, said that he had heard the administration planned to build stalls in the Pulogadung terminal and sell them to the vendors for Rp 500,000 each.

According to Tigor, who is the chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), this was too expensive.

Tigor said the vendors' association also planned to file a lawsuit against the administration for conducting forced evictions, and wrecking the vendors' stalls and pushcarts, which caused millions of rupiah in losses.