Street vendors benefit from party attributs

Street vendors benefit from party attributs

JAKARTA (JP): Although the official start of campaigning for
the June general election is 42 days away, traders are setting up
shop on the city's sidewalks with an array of party attributes.

Eye-catching, colorful merchandise is available on Jl. Mampang
Prapatan in South Jakarta, Jl. Senen Raya, Jl. Kramat Raya and
Jl. K.S. Tubun in Central Jakarta, and Jl. Jatinegara in East
Jakarta.

Along Jl. Mampang Prapatan, at least 20 traders were observed
on Thursday selling oversized flags, T-shirts, caps, pens, pins,
scarfs, vests and even baby accessories, all bearing symbols of
different political parties contesting the polls.

Hawkers also were spotted on Jl. Kramat Raya near the Senen
junction.

More are expected to take to the streets in days immediately
before the campaign starts on May 19.

Interviewed on Thursday by The Jakarta Post, many of the
traders acknowledged the presence of 48 poll contestants in this
year's elections -- up from the three of past elections -- was no
guarantee of big sales.

Customers, they said, were only interested in merchandise of
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the National Mandate
Party, the United Development Party and the National Awakening
Party.

The public's cool response has led traders to take an
unenthusiastic view of the remaining parties.

They said they were merely following the public's example.

"It's the market that says it," one of them said.

Taufik on Jl. Mampang Prapatan said: "So far only supporters
from those four parties have showed up."

Traders said they sold their wares from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. every
day.

Flags are on sale for between Rp 5,000 and Rp 45,000 each,
depending on the size and material, and hats sell from Rp 6,000
to Rp 15,000 each.

T-shirt prices range from Rp 6,000 to Rp 12,000 each, also
depending on size and material.

Pins are Rp 2,000 each.

Taufik said he bought the attributes at Jatinegara Market in
East Jakarta and Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta.

Eeng, another trader on Jl. Mampang Prapatan, said he bought
the merchandise from a major trader.

"The big trader came here and asked me to sell his
merchandise," said Eeng, who runs his business from a bus
shelter.

Many of the traders said they took home Rp 25,000 profit per
day.

"It's a good job for an unemployed man like me," said Amat, a
trader on Jl. Kramat Raya. (jun/bsr)