'I don't have any other choice to survive'

'I don't have any other choice to survive'

City councillors have told Governor Sutiyoso to pay serious
attention to the plight of some 500,000 street vendors operating
here. A number of the vendors took the time to share their views
on the matter with The Jakarta Post.

Juntak, 24, a sidewalk vendor who has been selling video
compact disks in Senen, Central Jakarta, for eight years:

If Sutiyoso plans to raid street vendors he should do it to
all of the vendors across the Greater Jakarta, and then relocate
us to more appropriate areas.

I know that I am in the wrong, because vendors block up the
streets and cause traffic. But we don't do it on purpose. I mean,
I wouldn't be doing this job if I had a better and safer job.

The reason I dare open a stall here in the street is because
I'm not alone. Many other people do the same thing just to
survive.

So, I'll keep on trying to stay on the good side of the city
public order officers and the police so hopefully I won't be
evicted. I don't give them any money, just cigarettes and I'll
buy them a drink.

I don't make much money, just enough to buy some food and
cigarettes.

Samsu Ramli, 45, a sidewalk vendor who has sold clothes in
Jatinegara, East Jakarta, for 15 years. He resides in Bogor:

Frankly, I'm a bit worried about Governor Sutiyoso's new
policies to deal with vendors like me. Will we be safe during his
second term?

Well, I'll try to be more disciplined so that the city public
order officers won't have any reason to raid me.

I know working as a street vendor is wrong. I know that it
causes traffic congestion along the street here because we take
up half of the street.

But this is the only thing I can do to survive. Do you think
the city administration would help me survive by giving me a job?
I don't think so. I don't have any other choice buy to continue
doing what I'm doing, so I can survive.

I can say that the city officials have so far tolerated our
presence here. At least, there haven't been any raids recently.
They just warn us and ask us to move back off the street, even
though we don't give them any money. I can make about Rp 50,000 a
day.

Geny, 17, helps his uncle sell towels near the Cipto
Mangunkusumo Public Hospital in Salemba, Central Jakarta:

The public order officers tried to raid us once, but we fought
them back. I mean, we are willing to be moved if the city
administration can find a new location for us. But they only
forcibly evict us, without giving us any other options.

And we already paid for our spot here on the street. My uncle
paid Rp 200,000 to an officer three years ago. So we believe that
we have the right to be here. My uncle regularly pays the public
order officers, but I don't know how much.

Karsinah, 52, she and her husband sell beverages on the street
in Slipi, West Jakarta. She is originally from Indramayu, West
Java:

I don't know who Sutiyoso is and I don't care about that. I'm
just an old, simple woman who wants to make a living in the city.

Sometimes I worry about raids by the city's public order
officers. But so far they have always been kind, as they always
give us a warning before evicting us. That's why we pay them
every month, to save ourselves. But I don't know how much we give
them; that's my husband's business.

They have the right to evict us because we know we are in the
wrong. But our drive to survive is stronger than our fear of
eviction, so we take the chance and do this kind of work.

-- Leo Wahyudi S