Mirror traders are witnesses to major events at the House

Mirror traders are witnesses to major events at the House

By A'an Suryana

JAKARTA (JP): No one passing in front of the legislator's
building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta can avoid the
shining reflection of mirrors on display at various spots along
the sidewalk.

The mirror traders, mostly relatives to each other, have been
occupying the site since the early 1970s. In those days, children
only realized they were approaching the House compound when they
saw the mirror traders from a distance.

Between late 1997 and early 1998, when people were rallying at
the House complex, seeking for democracy and a clean and
legitimate government, some thought that the mirror traders were
hired as spies by the authorities.

On many occasions, the traders at six or seven locations along
the main road, which is prohibited to any kind of traders, have
been repeatedly expelled and chased away by personnel from the
city Public Order office.

Waiting until things cool down, they appear at the same
location a few days later to run their business as usual.
According to the traders, the spots near the House have become
their favorite place to sell the mirrors even though motorists
are prohibited from stopping their vehicles along the street.

"We don't sell our mirrors on other streets since customers
have known our business here for many years," said Soekanta, 60,
a retired elementary school headmaster who has become a
"godfather" for traders at four spots in the area.

He runs the business with his children and other relatives,
assembling the mirrors at his home in a Pejompongan slum area and
selling the finished products at locations near the House
complex.

"The daily turnover reaches around Rp 300,000 from all the
locations," Soekanta told The Jakarta Post at his house on
Monday.

According to him, his staff earned the difference between the
price set by Soekanta and the final price paid by customers to
the traders.

Judging from Soekanta's house and way of living and also the
monthly income of the traders, the business is not a thriving
one. The traders told the Post that they sometimes did not sell a
single mirror throughout the entire day.

Suhana, 26, Soekanta's niece who sells mirrors in front of
nearby Taman Ria entertainment park, said, "I sell 10 mirrors on
average each month and earn Rp 300,000."

Another mirror trader, Bambang, agreed with her remarks. In a
bid to earn more money, Bambang even continues his business in
heavy rains.

"The quality of our varnish is fine, so we're not afraid the
frames or the mirrors will become discolored," he said.

In an attempt to give equal opportunity to all of them, the
traders have agreed to regularly change their trading places,
Bambang said.

"The most strategic spot here is the one in front of Jakarta
Convention Center (JCC), the front line of the mirror trading
spots here," he added.

Based on the traffic flow in the area, motorists and
pedestrians quickly spot the mirror traders on the sidewalk in
front of JCC and up through the Manggala Wanabhakti building.

The traders set the price of the mirrors, which come in
different sizes, models and frames, from Rp 50,000 (30
centimeters by 60 centimeters) to Rp 85,000 for the large oval
mirror or regular rectangular model (1.22 m by 65 cm).

Mirrors with carved frames fetch a higher price because the
traders and suppliers must buy them from a Jepara carver at
Pondok Pinang in Ciputat, Tangerang.

Some of the traders, like Suhana, a former car salesman, use
the time waiting for customers to cut wood for more frames.

"We usually don't close our 'shops' during protests, unless
the police block off the street," he said.

Suhana, who also works for Soekanta, said that the wood and
plywood for the mirrors are obtained from a shop near the
"godfather's" house in Pejompongan, about 30 minutes walk from
their trading sites.

The mirrors are bought from a shop at Klender market in East
Jakarta, he added.

According to Suhana, the Public Order personnel have not
carried out operations against them in the past few months. He
was netted in a 1997 raid at the site along with all his 25
mirrors.

After paying a fine of Rp 16,000 for his wrongdoing, he was
allowed to leave the Public Order office. "But I could only get
two of my mirrors back," he recalled.

The mirror traders usually arrive at their appointed spots at
8 a.m. by carrying the mirrors in a small two-wheel cart. Using
sticks or other material found on site, the traders display their
merchandises with the mirrors facing to the oncoming flow of
traffic.

House members actually could spend a few minutes of their busy
days by visiting the traders. They could look at a mirror to
review the "good and bad" things they have done to the people.

They could ask, "Mirror, mirror near the House, who's the best
legislator of all?"