Glodok traders to wait for 3-in-1 review

Glodok traders to wait for 3-in-1 review

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta

Traders in the Glodok business district, West Jakarta, are
waiting until the Jakarta administration completes its evaluation
of the three-in-one policy in June before deciding on further
actions to demand an adjustment in its hours of enforcement.

Many of the vendors in the city's commercial district,
however, are already planning to file a complaint against the
administration for issuing the policy, which they say has been
detrimental to their businesses since it was enforced in January.

Rudy, a home appliances store owner at Harco Glodok shopping
center, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that it might be too late
for their businesses should they wait for the evaluation.

"We might as well sue Governor Sutiyoso right away so that he
can immediately rectify the policy," he said. "How can we expect
to make a living when business is so bad (due to the policy)?"

Rudy claimed his sales have dropped by 60 percent since the
policy came into effect, although he declined to provide exact
figures of his revenue before and after the new policy was
implemented.

Chandra, another trader at Harco, claimed he also noticed a
decline in sales of electronic appliances, although it was only
some 20 percent.

"I'm quite sure the decline is caused by the policy," he said.
"This is because customers now have less time to browse and
purchase goods at Glodok."

A store attendant at the Hayam Wuruk Indah (HWI) Lindeteves
hardware market, David, also noticed that customers now come only
on the weekends and holidays, when the traffic policy is not in
effect.

The three-in-policy is imposed along Blok M in South Jakarta
to Kota in West Jakarta, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m., from Monday to Friday. The route includes the parallel
roads of Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk, which pass through
the Glodok area.

During a meeting with Governor Sutiyoso last Thursday to
collect input for the evaluation, traders at Harco Glodok, HWI
Lindeteves, Glodok Market and Glodok Plaza shopping centers
proposed new hours for the policy from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5
p.m. to 7 p.m.

They also suggested that the city administration build a
busway stop close to Glodok Market to facilitate customer'
access.

Contrary to the plans of several traders to file a lawsuit,
Wiwiek, a textile trader at Glodok Market, said that Thursday's
proposal was enough for the meantime.

"This is because the city administration itself has an
interest in keeping business in Glodok going well," he said. "If
rent and tax-paying traders at the Glodok Market and Harco
Glodok, both of which are under the management of the city's
Pasar Jaya, go out of business, it will be a blow to city revenue
too."

Wiwiek also said that he had not experienced a decrease in his
monthly sales of some Rp 100 million, because he already had
regular customers, whose orders he could fulfill without them
having to come to his store.

"I do know, however, of some vendors -- such as food and
clothing vendors whose sales depends on visitors -- who will be
in danger of going out of business."