Mangga Dua traders confront City Council
JAKARTA (JP): Traders of Mal Mangga Dua in West Jakarta visited the City Council yesterday, complaining about the unfair treatment of the shopping mall's management.
Four representatives of 150 traders told members of Commission B for economic affairs that PT Duta Pertiwi recently hiked the monthly management fees from Rp 5,000 (US$1.55) to Rp 12,000 per square meter, plus a 4 percent government tax, without the traders' knowledge.
One of the representatives, Herman, said the traders only agreed to pay Rp 6,000 per square meter plus tax, which they said was already paid to Duta Pertiwi on Nov. 1.
"We paid it through Bank Internasional Indonesia along with the electricity bills," said Herman.
However, the management cut off the electricity to 50 tenants at the mall on the same day, he said.
The unexpected situation compelled the remaining traders to show their solidarity by turning off their own electricity, he said.
The management "deployed" dozens of security officers "to intimidate the 100 traders who blacked out their stalls," Herman said.
He said the blackout lasted for five days until Nov. 5, which had badly affected their earnings.
In response, member of the commission Tarman Azzam promised to summon Duta Pertiwi executives for an explanation as soon as possible.
"The developer should openly discuss with the traders if there are any changes to be made," he said.
Mall executives could not be reached for comment yesterday, but a source from the mall's management told The Jakarta Post that they had never agreed with the traders to charge them only Rp 6,000 per month.
The source, who refused to be identified, said the electricity was cut because the traders could not meet the payment deadline.
"If tenants fail to pay for electricity on the 20th of every month, the management automatically cuts their power at the end of the month," she said.
On the involvement of security officers, she said: "It's for the sake of security -- they are needed everywhere."
The mall, offering a wide range of textile and household items and apparels, is one of the city's most popular shopping sights for locals and foreigners. (ind)