Traders want postponement of marketplace removal

JAKARTA (JP): A group of traders of the Makasar subdistrict in Halim, East Jakarta, staged a protest yesterday, demanding a postponement of plans to build a swimming pool on the market site.

"We are strongly against the plan as it will cause us to lose our customers as soon as we move to the new market," Kamid, head of the delegation, told the City Council's Commission B which is in charge of economic affairs.

Kamid explained that the traders were forced to move to the new market because the Air Force, which owns the land on which the old market is standing, will build a swimming pool there.

He explained that the old market was built in 1985, with the approval of the Air Force, to accommodate small traders who were frequently chased out of the area by law enforcement officers at the time.

"The officers did stop their law enforcement operation once we settled down in the market," Kamid added.

Until nine months ago the Air Force Foundation collected fees from traders, despite disapproval from the East Jakarta Mayoralty on the grounds that the market was considered illegal, he said.

Kamid reiterated that he and his colleagues do not want to move because the new market is located far from regular customers and they fear that they will lose them, thereby causing them losses. Moreover, the new market, the plan of which is opposed by local people, floods during the rainy season, he added.

After reviewing the report, Abdulgani H. Abdullah, chairman of the commission, urged the traders to obey the order because there is no hope for them to maintain the old market.

"Their removal to the new market is in line with East Jakarta Mayoralty's plan to reorganize the market places in the area," Abdullah said.

Abdullah also promised to question the mayoralty's decision to ask traders to move to the new site despite there being inadequate kiosks in the new market to accommodate all the traders.

"The new market only has 140 kiosks while there are 281 traders in the old market," Kamid said.

Textile employees

Meanwhile, seven staff members of PT Star Camtex, a textile firm in North Jakarta, also protested to the City Council yesterday because the company tried to force them to sign letters of resignation.

"We were initially suspended for one month but then the management tried to force us to sign a letter of resignation," said Alimaroh, spokesperson of the employees, adding that they refused the order because signing meant they would not be entitled to severance pay.

They said that they were suspended because they often left their jobs. However, they claimed the reason they frequently did so was because their Korean boss treats them badly.

"He is too demanding and rude. He always insists we produce jackets far beyond the daily quota and when we do he shows no gratitude whatsoever," Alimaroh said.

They demand that the company fires them and give them severance pay. (yns)