Staff braced for possible Tenda Semanggi closure

Staff braced for possible Tenda Semanggi closure

JAKARTA (JP): Workers in cafes and restaurants in Tenda
Semanggi are bracing themselves for the possible closure of their
establishments, with some saying they will stay put in Jakarta to
continue their trade elsewhere in the city.

The future of Tenda Semanggi, a popular hangout among wealthy
young Jakartans, already in doubt because the management of the
complex has yet to renew its lease, was complicated this week
after the city administration said it would put the place "in
order".

While most workers, who are employed as cooks, waiters and
cleaners, in Tenda Semanggi say they have no immediate plans if
the place was closed down, several are determined to run their
own street food stalls.

Soja, who has worked as a waiter at Warung Buncit cafe for
four months, said he would use his savings and cooking skills to
set up a food stall selling pecel lele (fried eel).

"I will continue to work in Jakarta because I can serve more
people than I could in my hometown of Semarang," said the father
of a two-month-old boy, who arrived in Jakarta in February.

Wawan, a part-time waiter at Borobudur cafe, said he and his
colleagues planned to open a food stall in Mampang, South
Jakarta.

He hoped to make enough money to eventually run his own
business in his hometown in Tasikmalaya, West Java.

Hermawan, another waiter at Borobudur cafe, however, said he
was not making any plans at all at this stage and would wait for
the management to terminate his employment. "Only then will I
start looking for a job," he said.

Tenda Semanggi, occupying a 2.8-hectare plot behind the
Jakarta Stock Exchange Building, houses 90 cafes and restaurants
and employs some 2,000 people. The place became popular among
Jakarta's young elite after its establishment in 1998 because
some of its cafes and restaurants were started by out-of-work
actors and actresses during the economic recession.

PT Jaya Sapta, which manages the complex on behalf of Mitra
Jakarta foundation, is currently negotiating to extend the lease
on the plot with the owner, PT Danayasa Arthatama.

The original lease expired last month, but the management has
outstanding contracts with tenants that run until May 2001.

Jakarta governor Sutiyoso confirmed on Thursday that Tenda
Semanggi was a target in the city administration's plans to
restore order in the city because permanent structures had been
built there in violation of the original permits, which were for
tents.

Many Tenda Semanggi workers said they were more worried about
the complex management's failure to extend the contract than the
administration's threat to put the area in order.

Agus, Tenda Semanggi marketing manager, said that besides
directly employing 2,000 workers, the complex was also a source
of income for hundreds of people, who sold newspapers, cigarettes
and other things.

He remained optimistic that Tenda Semanggi would remain a
popular hangout, although business had been slow recently.

"We have no problems with competitors. Tenda Semanggi has its
own market segment. Rain is our biggest enemy," he said, (06)