Jakartans seem undeterred by rowdy rallies
JAKARTA (JP): People in most places in Jakarta seemed undeterred by demonstrations by thousands of President Abdurrahman Wahid supporters in the capital.
Shopping centers opened as usual and there was nothing unusual about the traffic on main roads in the city, such as Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin.
However, many offices seemed to anticipate the possibility of unrest as some companies sent their employees home early.
Some employees told Antara news agency that their bosses had allowed them to go home after seeing on television a clash between protesters and security forces.
"I want to go home. Is the Grogol area (West Jakarta) safe?" asked a woman who works on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta.
However, some places in the city appeared to be less crowded than usual, such as Jl. Gajah Mada in Kota, West Jakarta.
Suharto, a Prestasi taxi driver, agreed and said that Jl. Gajah Mada was less crowded than usual.
"Usually at lunchtime there are traffic jams here, like what happened yesterday. But now you see, the traffic is quite smooth," he told The Jakarta Post.
But later in the afternoon, traffic jams occurred in the area, especially in front of the Glodok electronics center.
Stores remained open on Wednesday afternoon and street vendors displayed their merchandise, such as television antennas and VCDs.
The nearby Mangga Dua shopping complex also remained open as usual.
Meanwhile, the usually busy Cawang area in East Jakarta was quiet on Wednesday morning, with only public vehicles and a few private cars passing the area.
Along Jl. Gatot Subroto, only a few cars were seen on the street. At around 10 a.m., the toll road from Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta, heading toward Grogol in West Jakarta, was also virtually deserted, with only few vehicles passing by.
"Many people are worried about something happening here so I believe people do not dare to drive their cars along this road," commented a bus driver, referring to Jl. Gatot Subroto, where the House of Representatives is situated and where thousands of Abdurrahman supporters demonstrated.
Dozens of street vendors join the President's supporters in a long march from the State Palace to the House of Representatives complex, along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.
Suparman, a bottled drink vendor, said that he joined the supporters in case they got thirsty.
Vendor Marijo said the supporters increased his daily income.
Meanwhile, vendors at the National Monument were disappointed when the supporters left for the House.
"We expected them to stay here all day, and that we could sell more food," said a vendor named Suharti. (hdn/emf/jun/01)