US$1.4 million illegal fees 'collected daily'

JAKARTA (JP): Illegal levies collected daily from about 2 million street vendors in the capital amount to a total of Rp 14 billion (about US$1.4 million), head of a vendors association claimed on Monday.

Chairman of Association of Indonesian Street Vendors (Hipki) Bambang Harry said the levies were demanded not only by local thugs, but by officials of Public Order and Land Transportation Agencies, and police officers.

"We have been burdened by such levies without having services or our safety improved, except for the fact that they certify our businesses," said Bambang.

Bambang, who claimed to head at least 15,000 street vendors in the capital, said that, despite the increasing illegal levies, more street vendors were being punished for trading in prohibited places.

"We just want to make a living without being 'removed' again. We are willing to follow the regulations, including paying legal fees to the authorities, or being relocated to other sites," he said.

Street vendors have been posing a dilemma for the city with most residents already familiar with their presence, thanks to the cheaper prices they offer.

Hundreds of street vendors, who build temporary, makeshift kiosks selling a wide range of goods, crowd the sidewalks, parking lots, streets, and crowded city-owned markets only to disrupt traffic.

Popular areas include Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, Jatinegara market in East Jakarta, Glodok of Wast Jakarta, as well as Pasar Minggu and Blok M, both in South Jakarta.

The city administration is intensifying its crackdown on the vendors. At least 10,000 illegal vendors, mostly located in South Jakarta, were exposed in December last year.

In anticipation of the growing problem, Bambang said the association had proposed several solutions, with a new approach to both traders and authorities.

The program aimed at forcing the street vendors to uphold the law and improve their business by applying legal fees received by the city administration, Bambang said.

"We propose that the city administration consider applying legitimate fees, which will hamper any collection of illegal levies. Or, they (city administration) can offer an alternative solution which can guarantee no more illegal levies being collected from us," Bambang said.

"We propose that each trader need only pay Rp 2,000 for the security program, instead of paying the current illegal levies of Rp 5,000 to Rp 7,000 a day," said Bambang.

The relocation plan was in line with the City Development Planning Board (Bappeda) program, which allocated Rp 35 billion to compensate for the appropriation of approximately 27,000 square-meters of space in five separate locations across the capital.

Bappeda's secretary, Rohana Manggala, said the program would move street vendors occupying several city-owned markets and busy streets, to support the crackdown which often lacked solutions to the problems caused by traders.

The locations include a 3,000 square-meter-area at Pasar Gaplok, Kramat in Central Jakarta; a 5,000 square-meter-area along Jl. Lorong 103 and 104 in North Jakarta; 10,000 square- meters in Jl. Kamal Raya at Rawa Buaya in West Jakarta; 10,000 square-meters at Pasar Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta; and another 3,000 square-meter-area along Jl. Raya Bogor, Kramat Jati in East Jakarta.

Technical details regarding the program's implementation are currently being prepared, Rohana added. (07)