Klender market traders upset over kiosk prices
Klender market traders upset over kiosk prices
JAKARTA (JP): About 35 traders selling their goods at a makeshift traditional market on Jl. Wijaya Kesumah I in Klender, East Jakarta, asked the city council yesterday to help them negotiate kiosk prices with PD Pasar Jaya, a city owned market company.
Bahar, the leader of the group, asked the city council's commission B, in charge of economic affairs, to urge the company not to overcharge them for their kiosks in the new market building set to open in 1996.
"We duly hope the commission can help us by persuading or pressuring the company not to charge us an expensive price for a kiosk because we cannot afford to pay it," Bahar said, without stating the kiosk prices set by PD Pasar Jaya.
He explained that all his friends lost everything after a fire disintegrated their kiosks twice. The last time was on Sunday, when about 1,200 kiosks were reduced to ashes.
The traders, who mostly sell foodstuffs, have been occupying the temporary market site since last year because the new market building owned by the company is still not finished.
"Although we can buy on an installment basis, we still cannot afford them and we are afraid that those kiosks will be bought by traders from other places," Bahar said, adding that the company has never asked the traders to discuss or negotiate prices.
Bahar also asked the city council to prevent the company from selling the kiosks to outsiders.
Abdulgani H. Abdullah, chairman of the commission, said that the commission will summon the management of PD Pasar Jaya as well as the developer of the new market building.
Temporary market
Traders also inquired if PD Pasar Jaya will provide another temporary market. Police have sealed off the location since the fire last destroyed the market area.
"None of us can work and PD Pasar Jaya has not told us anything about its plan," Sihombing said.
Hasan Dasy, a member of the commission, said he had already contacted the company, who have promised to build a new temporary market.
Bahar and the other traders also asked the councilors to help them financially by contacting agencies in the city administration or the central government to provide soft loans for the traders.
"As you know we have lost everything due to the fire and we need financial support to restart our businesses," Bahar reasoned.(yns)