Street brawls affect business in Matraman

Street brawls affect business in Matraman

JAKARTA (JP): Continuous clashes between neighboring residents
of Kebon Manggis and Palmeriam in the Matraman district of East
Jakarta have badly affected business in the area.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Monday, several
offices and owners of hotels, car showrooms, a bookstore and a
pharmacy said the fate of their business was unknown.

Some have planned to leave the area and run their business in
a safer place.

They said the area was strategic for their business, but since
fights between the two neighborhoods had significantly increased,
particularly since April this year, businessmen could not find
buyers for their property.

"Even insurance companies refuse to insure us here," said Iwan
Aminuddin, a manager of timber company PT Multi Wahana Wijaya,
which has been set on fire three times during the clashes.

Iwan and other businessmen in the area said they were not only
suffering financial losses but also had to dismiss employees. In
total, they estimated that the brawls had caused unemployment
among hundreds of people.

David Widjaja, the manager of Lautan Berlian in the Mitsubishi
Motors showroom, said the building was gutted by fire during a
recent Matraman clash, leaving only the workshop in operation.

The showroom was still under renovation on Monday.

The number of customers bringing their cars in for servicing
at the workshop remained low due to tension and the
unpredictability of the area.

The workshop has so far serviced 15 cars this month, compared
to 18 in May and 10 the previous month, David said.

The brawls, which have taken place between the two warring
neighborhoods since the 70s, involve adults, teenagers and
children who usually use sharp weapons, air rifles, molotov
cocktails and bricks to attack one another. In most cases, the
clashes are sparked by small disputes between teenagers from the
two areas.

Iwan, whose office was located at the top of Jl. Palmeriam,
temporarily moved to another location in April.

Early this month, he and his staff returned to the renovated
building but last week's brawls revived their skepticism.

"We are planning to move permanently to another location in a
short time," said Iwan.

The company has spent some Rp 60 million to renovate its
office and another Rp 30 million for equipment. All the files
were lost in the fire, he said.

Iwan said frightened visitors who came to the office often
abruptly canceled transactions.

"We can't even monitor our operation in Sorong (Irian Jaya) by
using the radio to communicate since we often close the office
when the mob starts fighting," he said.

Those in the tourism business, such as hotels and a bus
ticketing agent, said they regretted their plunging income.

"Our rooms used to be fully booked on the weekends, but since
the recent brawls, the occupancy rate has dropped 60 percent,"
said Bambang Prasetyabudi, a member of the front office staff at
Mega Matra Hotel.

Harini, the owner of the nearby Continental, a bus ticketing
agent, said business had dropped drastically. The remaining few
customers ask the agent to deliver the tickets to their
residences, he said.

"We sold about 175 tickets in March, but we have only booked
about 25 tickets so far this month," he said.

Kimia Farma pharmacy has also suffered losses. Most customers,
who come from Petamburan Hospital, Pasar Rebo Hospital and Polri
Hospital of East Jakarta, have found another way to purchase
drugs.

Most businessmen regretted the law enforcers who they said did
not take stiff measures against the brawling residents.

Filise Kunaryanto, a staff member of Gramedia bookstore, said
law enforcers always arrived late and failed to settle the
dispute.

He suggested that the authorities deploy a greater number of
security personnel to face the mobs, which were becoming more
adept at fighting. (07)