Traders say Matahari killing small business
Traders say Matahari killing small business
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of small-scale traders of Pasar Melawai in the Blok M shopping center, South Jakarta, staged a protest yesterday, urging the authority to stop the construction of three escalators by the Matahari Department Store at the four-story market building.
Almost half of the 1,200 traders who sell their goods in and around the building together with dozens of owners of the shops located nearby stopped business until late in the afternoon.
Around 100 police and military officers were deployed at the site. But the four-hour protest ended peacefully at 1 p.m. and no untoward incidents happened.
Some of the protesters said that they strongly oppose to the construction of the three escalators outside of the building as it might only lead customers to the second and third floors of the building, which is rented by Matahari Dept. Store.
The protesters said that the escalators might prevent shoppers from seeing goods sold by the small-scale traders on the first floor and the basement of the building.
"This is not fair because there are already three escalators, two lifts and a number of stairwells in this building," said a protester.
Sharing the protester's views, Yusuf Hofni Kilikily, one of the five lawyers of the traditional and small-scale traders at Pasar Melawai, commented that the development of the external escalators by Matahari might be a well-plotted plan to drive the traders away from the site.
"In the long run, only big-scale traders and conglomerates, like Matahari, would be able to rent the available spaces here," Yusuf said.
Asked to comment on the issue, head of the PD Pasar Raya for the Blok M branch office, Mrs. Gerda Rosalina Marbun, insisted that the construction of the three new escalators could not be stopped.
"There's tough competition in this business area and its surroundings. If we do not make any renovation, we'll be left behind," she said.
Rental period
Located on Jl. Melawai IV at Blok M shopping center, the building of Pasar Melawai, which is owned and managed by the city-owned PD Pasar Jaya firm, has four stories, including a basement. The basement and the first floor have been occupied by small-scale traders since 1987 under a 20-year rental agreement.
A copy of a nine-page letter made by Yusuf and his four colleagues from the LMR-RI law firm, states that Matahari has rented the whole space on the second and third floors since last year but for a 30-year term.
"Many small-scale traders lost their business at that time when Matahari took the two floors with the full support of PD Pasar Jaya," the lawyers said in the letter.
The Matahari Dept. Store at Pasar Melawai is one of 40 similar branches throughout the country under the management of PT Matahari Dept. Store, which is owned by businessman Hari Dharmawan.
The letter, which was issued on May 29, was addressed to the Jakarta governor, South Jakarta mayor, director of PD Pasar Jaya and to Hari. Copies have been sent to various high-ranking officials, including the President and Vice President and current cabinet ministers.
According to the lawyers, the small-scale traders have raised such complaints through various avenues since last year.
In August, for example, a total of 354 traders signed a letter addressed to Vice President Try Sutrisno.
"The management of Pasar Jaya has done nothing to stop the construction of the new escalators. But it simply pushed us to stage a protest," the protesters said.
Many nearby department stores and shops, like Sarinah, Ramayana, Gramedia bookstore and Kentucky Fried Chicken, were closed yesterday afternoon.
Many owners of the shops who closed their businesses said that they did so as an expression of solidarity and support with the protesters. (bsr)