Monas street vendors fight the law to survive

JAKARTA (JP): Street vendors may not appear to have much in common with heavyweight businesspeople, but both are involved in the same game of survival of the fittest in the city where money talks.

While many people allege it is common practice for tycoons to bribe state officials, money is also what allows illegal vendors to survive despite their being viewed as the main source of public disorder.

The traders display their goods, park their carts and set up their tents along the city's streets, blocking pedestrians and contributing to the capital's already nerve-wracking traffic jams.

City public order officers frequently raid street vendors and chase them from the streets, confiscating their carts and goods.

But these efforts often prove less than effective, and in less then two hours the vendors have usually returned with their carts and tents.

One of the main areas of operation for the public order officers is the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta. The latest raid here took place about two weeks ago.

It was business as usual at Monas on Tuesday, with at least 10 vendors waiting for customers along the western part of the monument facing Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat. More vendors had set up shop around the other areas of Monas.

"We have nowhere else to go," said Rokib, 25, who sells ketoprak, a traditional Jakarta food consisting of bean sprouts, tofu, rice noodles and peanut sauce.

Rokib has been working at Monas for six years since arriving in Jakarta from his hometown of Pamekasan on Madura, an island off East Java.

He has long become accustomed to crackdowns on street traders, saying he has been caught by public order officers five times. But he was quick to add that he always managed to bounce back.

"My cart is still being held by officers who confiscated it in the latest raid. I haven't been able to get it back yet because I don't have much money now. Thankfully, I have two carts," Rokib told The Jakarta Post.

It will cost him between Rp 150,000 (US$13.64) and Rp 200,000 to retrieve his cart. The amount is, of course, unofficial.

According to Say'inqodir, a bakwan (soup with meatballs) vendor, the official fine is Rp 35,000 ($3.18).

"That's if our goods are still being held in the court. But once they're taken to Cakung the price soars. The officers extort us," he said.

Cakung is a warehouse in East Jakarta where public order officials keep confiscated goods.

Another vendor, Imam, said selling bottled tea was a riskier proposition because you had to rent the cart from a distributor, meaning being caught in a raid could cost you double.

"Besides bribing public order officers, the owner of the cart will ask for compensation. Once I had to pay the owner some Rp 300,000. That's why I started selling iced coconut drinks," he said.

Through experience, the vendors have learned many ways to escape arrest.

If running is impossible because public order officers, armed with sticks, are giving chase in vehicles, the traders often take refuge in nearby police stations.

"It works because the officers are afraid of the police," Rokib added.

Second Brig. Ian, who was on duty at a police station near Monas, said pity moved him to help the street vendors.

"It's illegal to trade here, but the vendors are only trying to make money during the crisis. Besides, if there were no vendors here where would we (police) go to buy food?" he said.

The vendors were all in agreement that they would rather set up shop somewhere other than Monas, which they said was less crowded than it once was.

"It's hard to even sell 10 plates of ketoprak a day. I want to sell in an office, but where? There are already vendors everywhere. I'd pay if I had to," Rokib said, adding that he only earns about Rp 50,000 a day, which is just enough to cover his expenses. (hdn)