'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