Sidewalk vendors to be tolerated

JAKARTA (JP): Sidewalk vendors near Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta will be allowed to operate until the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly next month, an official said yesterday.

Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah said the dispensation was given because the mayoralty was concentrating on how to cope with the economic recession, including holding temporary bazaars offering basic commodities at low prices.

After a series of cleanup operations staged late last year, the city notified vendors that their operations would be tolerated until the Idul Fitri celebration.

The monetary crisis may have encouraged the city to extended its deadline.

"If we crack down on sidewalk vendors during the crisis, it will only create new problems. Besides, working as a sidewalk vendor can also become alternative employment for those who have lost their jobs recently," he said. (ind)