Vendors need guidance

Vendors need guidance

From Merdeka

Small traders often become the victims of raids held by officials of the Jakarta Municipality. They are often chased away for disorderly behavior, and blamed for defiling the city's beauty. Often their merchandise is confiscated and they have to pay to get it back. Often too, their wares are missing from the containers returned. Nobody knows anything about the missing contents, of course.

They are really a sorry sight. My concern for their fate is real. The more so since they are only trying to make enough to feed their families. I am very concerned about them.

However, I do not want to antagonize the officials assigned to conduct these raids. They are just doing their jobs for the sake of keeping Jakarta clean, safe and beautiful.

I do have a suggestion though. I suggest that the vendors be given serious guidance in what it entails to be a vendor. Apart from teaching them to behave in an orderly manner, guidelines for merchandising on a larger scale should be provided.

If I am not mistaken, this was once implemented by the Pasar Jaya company sometime ago. At the time, some vendors did achieve success. They no longer sell their goods on sidewalks, instead they can afford to rent kiosks built by Pasar Jaya.

AKIP R. MUCHIDIN

Jakarta