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Tanah Abang street vendors to move into Blok G next week
Still on the street: Toy vendors hawk their wares to passersby on Jl
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span class="inline inline-center">Still on the street: Toy vendors hawk their wares to passersby on Jl. Basuki Rahmat in Cipinang, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. The East Jakarta administration is allowing the vendors to remain on the sidewalk until a relocation site is ready. Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama warned that he would sack mayors who could not regulate the street vendors in their jurisdictions. JP/Ricky Yudhistira
Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo assured on Wednesday that the Blok G building in Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta could accommodate hundreds of street vendors.
More than 700 vendors, mostly clothes traders, who had been operating illegally on the streets for years, will be relocated to Blok G after the city administration cleared the streets around Southeast Asia's biggest textile market.
Many of the vendors were pessimistic about their chances of securing a slot as many new vendors had registered for stalls.
'The number of kiosks is about 1,100, 100 of which have been taken [...] There are about 700 vendors so it should be enough,' the governor said. 'We will verify the names of registered vendors within a week. They can move into the Blok G on Wednesday,' he said.
Jokowi promised that the relocation would be transparent and that he would closely monitor the process.
'If the kiosks are not enough, it means something is wrong [and] I will find out why,' he said, stressing that priority would go to existing traders.
While 931 vendors had registered to occupy 986 stalls in Block G, another 300 submitted ID copies after registration closed.
The Tanah Abang market area looked unusually orderly and empty after more than 700 illegal kiosks were demolished over the weekend.
City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya acting president director Alexander Yaris said the firm spent up to Rp 300 million (US$29,100) to clean up the building, and a further Rp 2 billion to renovate it. The block had been less popular than the adjacent blocks.
The Jakarta Parks and Cemetery Agency's Central Jakarta office planted trees near Blok G, while the Public Works Agency and the fire department repaired nearby clogged drains.
Trisakti University urban analyst Nirwono Yoga said the administration should devise a comprehensive and consistent program to regulate street vendors, so that the measures in Tanah Abang could be replicated in other Jakarta markets.
Nirwono said the administration and the vendors should work together to ensure a valid record on the number of street vendors around other markets and how many could be accommodated in existing buildings.
'Accuracy is essential to avoid misunderstanding,' he said, adding that unaccommodated vendors could be allocated space in shopping centers and traditional markets. Nirwono said the city should allocate extra funds for the agencies involved in the revamping of Tanah Abang.
The administration should also take care of residents like parking attendants, who previously earned a living from the chaotic crowds of Tanah Abang, Nirwono said.
Young locals could create a festival, he added, 'so they will have a positive activity as well as change the image of the market, which is known for thuggery.' Customers also need to be educated against making transactions on the street, he said.
On Wednesday, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) also rid the area around Gembrong toy market in Prumpung, East Jakarta, of 400 street vendors to overcome congestion.
Street vendors relocated their goods to a sidewalk until city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya finishes the construction of a building for them on a plot previously occupied by a school.
But Yono, a 32-year-old PlayStation Portable game platform seller, said he would be back on the street the next morning.
'I'm not afraid of the mayor [...] Nobody really enforces the law in Jakarta,' said Yono, who claimed he could earn Rp 1.7 million a day. East Jakarta Mayor Husein Murad said on Wednesday defiant vendors would have their goods confiscated. (ogi)
