Jakartans seem undeterred by rowdy rallies

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)