Party planned for newspaper vendors

Publishers and distribution agencies are preparing a bash for the men and women who work day in and day out to get newspapers and magazines into customers' hands.

"If there is a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, why not a Loper's Day on March 11," said Laris Naibaho, an organizer of the planned event. Loper is the Indonesian word for a newspaper vendor.

"We want to show our appreciation to them," he said.

Naibaho, who owns a distribution agency, said organizers planned to gather up to 7,000 newspaper and magazine sellers from around Jakarta at the Istora Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta. There are an estimated 40,000 such vendors in the Greater Jakarta area, a figure which includes those people who sell papers at traffic lights.

Tarusin, another organizer, said vendors were generally under- appreciated by the public.

"Neither heat, nor rain, nor being chased by the authorities stops them from delivering," said Tarusin. "They are the invisibles who work while we are all still asleep."

Tarusin said that on average newspapers vendors earned around Rp 400,000 (US$ 44) a month -- an amount below the city's official minimum wage of Rp 711,843.

Organizers said they would also establish a foundation for newspaper and magazine vendors, with the aim of improving their welfare.

The event is jointly funded by distribution agencies and major publishers, including Kompas, Republika and Media Indonesia.

Naibaho said organizers had been in contact with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's office to try to persuade the President to attend the event.-- JP(002)