Vendors demand areas with good business potential

JAKARTA (JP): While citing readiness to accept public order regulations, street vendors demanded on Wednesday that they be given a location with good business potential in return for vacating busy streets and sidewalks.

They acknowledged they were disturbing passersby and motorists as they frequently occupied sidewalks and even parts of city streets, but said in defense that they had no other choice but to continue their business there.

"The city administration has repeatedly cracked down on sidewalk vendors and promised new locations for us. But they never think of providing an area with good business potential."

"They offer space which is far from busy spots, like markets or roadsides," said Kadmeri, a fruit vendor in front of the University of Indonesia building on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.

"And I think, like everybody else, we'll look for ways to meet our basic needs. Moreover, customers are also happy because they can easily get things they want from us," he added.

Muchlis, a fellow trader selling head scarves, believed that most sidewalk vendors would not argue if they were relocated to "good" places and obligated to pay some money as rent for the new site.

"We occupy this space illegally, but we are still obliged to pay a certain amount to city administration officers every day.

"And we do not get any compensation if we are forced to leave the area," he said.

Both Kadmeri and Muchlis said they could understand the incident on Tuesday at Senen market area in Central Jakarta, in which 10 city officials were injured during the crackdown on local street vendors.

Similarly, Musardi, a beverage and cigarette vendor at a bus shelter in Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta, is also frustrated.

"We'll also fight the administration officials if they try to clear us out," he said.

Musardi said some vendors had occupied an area at Tanah Abang for 15 years, "and we always give money (for the use of it) to certain city officials every day".

"If we cannot do business here, why do they continuously collect money from us? They should have banned us from the beginning then," he said.

Hanafi, who has sold food in front of the Jakarta Police Headquarters with his brother since 1990, said they regularly pay fees to police personnel for security.

"But now, we have been ordered to leave the sidewalk as soon as the beautification project of the headquarters' front garden area, which is now occupied by some 40 vendors, is finished," he said.

Second Lt. Edy Sutrisno of the city police internal affairs department said as many as 30 vendors who set up kiosks in front of the garden had been told to relocate their business to the rear part of the compound in order to facilitate work on the project.

Another vendor, Yanto, who has sold clothes on the pedestrian overpass near the police headquarters since 1996, insisted that he had not inconvenienced the public.

"Many people are interested at looking at and buying goods displayed on the bridge. After all, I can easily pack up my belongings and leave if there is a crackdown by city personnel," he said, citing that no one needed to ask for permission or pay any fees to run a business in the area.

Meanwhile, Kartini, a food vendor on the city's main thoroughfare of Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, said relocating the vendors would only hurt their regular customers.

"Our trading sites are close to offices so employees can easily reach us," she said.

Residents

Mixed reactions have been aired by city residents regarding the street vendors' activities.

Mariana, who is in her 60s, said the vendors were helpful for elderly citizens like her.

"I don't need to go far to get what I need," she said while buying oranges near the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta for a relative being treated at the hospital.

"I think what the city administration has to do is organize the vendors and where they sell, so that they won't disturb passersby," she added.

Another resident, Wicaksono, however was against an arrangement for the vendors, saying they create traffic problems in the city.

"You can see that many streets are congested because of them," said the teacher at an elementary school in the Cikini area of Central Jakarta. (ind/06/imn)