'Strong political will may reduce hoodlum influence'

JAKARTA (JP): Strong political will is needed to reduce the influence of hoodlums, a researcher said.

The country's second-largest city, Surabaya, had proved this possible by organizing its vendors, Isono Sadoko of the Bandung- based Akatiga social analysis center said Saturday.

But in Jakarta this would be difficult because vendors, who are exploited by hoodlums, have low priority in the eyes of the municipality compared to large scale investors, he said.

Hoodlums preying on vendors were more of a problem in Jakarta than Surabaya or Bandung, said Isono, who has been studying the informal sector since the 1980s.

"Jakarta has a lot of other sectors which it can benefit from," Isono said. Catering to the interests of investors has meant more pressure to provide space for property businesses, for example, making space for vendors very competitive.

Isono was commenting on the gang war Thursday in Tanah Abang, one of the main markets here. Gang members, who call themselves 'security people,' fought over the territory where they extract fees from traders.

The expense of space for vendors created good opportunities for exploiting them. "As a result vendors hardly put up resistance against hoodlums," Isono said.

A sidewalk vendor selling refreshments in Tanah Abang said she had no choice but to pay Rp 50,000 a month to secure space, the same amount a shoe store owner said he had to pay.

"If I resist many other traders will take my place," the vendor said.

Isono said, "in Jakarta the commitment to really reduce hoodlums may only be realized if there are more gang wars".

He said many programs for vendors here had failed despite good intentions due, among other thins, to poor supervision.

To help vendors, Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has ruled sidewalk vendors are to be provided legitimate space during Ramadhan around markets. However often traders who own kiosks at the markets end up using these spaces for themselves or their relatives.

Isono said that in Surabaya in the early 1990s the mayor allowed vendors to operate on streets as long as they were organized and paid fees to subdistrict heads. The mayor also had an agreement with the military, as hoodlums were usually only able to operate with military personnel backing them, Isono said.

"When other parties asked vendors for money they were able to resist, saying they had already paid the subdistrict head," Isono said.

On Saturday gang members in Tanah Abang said they would "make peace" with their rivals, only if the other group moved out of the area. The Jakarta Military Command planned to make the two groups meet today.

Gang members were still on the look out in case rivals showed up. They carried weapons and said the risk of being jailed for attacking people was not a problem.

"When you have to feed your family, you have to protect your territory," a gang member said. "One has to eat."

"If we're jailed we would be released again in time anyway," Albert, not his real name, said. "It's just as hard living outside compared to inside (jail)."

He said he once served seven years for murder.

The gang members claimed to have legitimacy from the military and the municipality including the mayoralty.

"Since we came here there have been no more murders, robberies or rape," Kris, another member said. The authorities are pleased, he said.

They claimed traders complained of extortion under the rival gang. They said they had once listed for work with the Ministry of Manpower but failed to obtain any. (anr)