Tanah Abang traders try to rise up out of the rubble

Tanah Abang traders try to rise up out of the rubble

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With construction of temporary kiosks for those vendors burned
out of the Tanah Abang textile market yet to begin, many vendors
have converted their cars and minivans into mobile kiosks in an
attempt to keep their businesses alive.

Dozens of these "mobile kiosks" were seen in the Tanah Abang
parking lot behind the burned market building, an area commonly
known by its former name, Kompleks AURI (Air Force housing
complex). Mobile kiosks also have appeared in Block D's 4th floor
parking area and at the entrance of Block F.

"We cannot wait for the construction of the temporary kiosks
in the parking lot of Block F to be completed two months from
now. By that time we might have lost our customers," M. Rizal,
the owner of one of the 56 cars parked in Block D's parking lot,
told The Jakarta Post.

"Moreover, we still have to earn a living. Not only for our
families, but for our employees as well," he said.

The cars first appeared on Tuesday, with the employees and
owners guarding them 24 hours a day to prevent theft.

On Feb. 19, a fire gutted the four-story Tanah Abang market,
believed to be the largest textile market in Southeast Asia. The
fire, which burned for four days, destroyed more than 2,500
kiosks in Blocks A, C and E.

The Jakarta administration and city-owned market operator PD
Pasar Jaya have said rebuilding the market will take about two
years. In the meantime, the owners of the destroyed kiosks will
occupy Block D's parking area.

A plot of land belonging to the Indonesian Bank Restructuring
Agency about 500 meters from the market will be converted into a
parking lot, replacing the parking lot that will be used to house
the temporary kiosks. Five shuttle buses will be provided to
carry both kiosk owners and customers from the new parking lot to
the market.

Rizal, who sells women's clothing, said he had one kiosk in
Block A. He lost all of his merchandise, worth about Rp 200
million (US$22,222), in the fire, plus the Rp 300-million kiosk
itself.

"Most of the kiosk owners here don't have any other place to
go and do their business," he said.

Another kiosk owner, Syahril, said the vendors had to search
the market's blocks that were not destroyed by the fire to find
their customers and let them know they were still in business.

Parta, an employee of a destroyed kiosk that was located on
third floor of Block A, said that although his boss had another
kiosk in Block D, which was not destroyed in the fire, the mobile
kiosk was necessary.

"Our presence here in the entrance of Block F will ensure that
we get a temporary kiosk, because the market operator is now
registering the owners of the destroyed kiosks. Moreover, we can
get customers or give out business cards to potential customers,
letting them know we are still around," he told the Post.