Supermarkets to open on Sunday and Monday

JAKARTA (JP): Major supermarkets in the city are to remain open on Sunday and Monday despite fears of heightened political tension in connection with a planned mass prayer on Sunday and the House plenary session the following day.

"We will remain open on Sunday and Monday though many people are worried that the situation in Jakarta will be tense on these particular days," Dedy Prianto, a supervisor in Robinson department store in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the store would open as normal despite the fact that it was burned down during the May anti-Chinese riots in 1998.

According to Dedy, as of Friday there has been no panic buying.

He added that the management had been informed by suppliers that there would be an increase of between 5 percent and 15 percent in the price of products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste and milk effective from May 1.

On Sunday, hordes of Nahdlatul Ulama supporters are likely to flood the city to attend a mass prayer meeting in support of President Abdurrahman Wahid. The embattled President is facing a second motion of censure when the House of Representatives convenes after its recess on Monday.

A supervisor with Hero supermarket in Kalibata Mall, South Jakarta also said that there had been no panic buying.

"It's all still business as usual here. There's been no panic buying although there was a small increase in the number of customers last night," Hero supervisor Tugiman, 42, told the Post.

However, he also affirmed that the supermarket would remain open on Sunday and Monday.

He added that the supply of basic commodities was still stable.

The Matahari department store in Jatinegara Plaza, East Jakarta was plundered and torched by looters during the May 1998 riots, with the result that its operations were halted for two years.

Wawan Hermawan, a supervisor in the store, said that basic commodity stocks there remained stable. As of Friday, everything was normal and no customers were to be seen buying up basic commodities in large quantities.

He said the supermarket planned to open on Monday and Sunday. "Well, we'll just monitor the situation. We'll soon close up shop if the situation gets out of control," Wawan said.

Commodity stocks at the Ramayana department store in Palmerah, Central Jakarta, were also at normal levels. The supermarket had not seen any panic buying, even though there was a slight increase in the number of customers, Suprapto from Ramayana merchandising development said.

He added that the department store would remain open on Sunday and Monday.

Traditional markets will also operate as usual.

A storekeeper in the Senen Inpres market in Central Jakarta, Sulaiman, told the Post that it was also business as usual in his store. He had enough commodity stocks and the store would be open to serve consumers.

Earlier, deputy governor for economic affairs Fauzie Yasin confirmed that basic commodity stocks for city residents were adequate.

He said the city logistics depot still had some 114,000 tons of rice in store, while 18,615 tons were available at the Cipinang central rice market in East Jakarta, with an additional 300,000 tons of incoming rice deliveries due from West Java.

The existing stocks of 8,047 tons of vegetables, 6,539 tons of fruit, 942 tons of tubers, 4 tons of imported fruit of various kinds, 520,561 kilograms of meat, and 2,832 cattle ready for slaughter would be sufficient to cover city residents' needs until next week.(01)