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n the spirit of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, the West Jakarta administration sponsored annual low-priced market, or Pasar Murah, was held over the weekend on July 12 and 13 at a field close to Mercu Buana University campus.

The market featured discounted food items as well as goods at regular prices to local low-income
residents.

'€œThis program is designed to assist people who rely on informal [inconsistent] work, especially at the time of Ramadhan, when it is custom to purchase new clothes for family members,'€ said Selamat Widodo, head of the West Jakarta Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, which helped organize the bazaar.

The most popular aspect of the market was the sembako food packages, which were sold for Rp 20,000 (US$1.65), which was a 50 percent discount. Sembako are the nine basic cooking essentials and include rice, cooking oil, flour and sugar. Six companies, all of whom are part of the Responsible Business Alliance, participated in selling the packets. The sembako food package queues were the longest by far at the market, with many just browsing the other stalls.

'€œIf I can, I come every year,'€ said Sunia, a mother who brought her family of five to the market and walked away with low-priced cooking oil, noodles and other food products.

'€œWe came for this [sembako] and now we'€™re just looking around,'€ said Pipin, who was helping her mother.

Company'€™s specific coupons were also distributed, which were handed out to bazaar attendees based on their presumed income-level. The coupons offer discounts at various stores, such as Alfamart and Lotte Mart, as reported by kompas.com.

Thirty other vendors were involved in the bazaar, according to Selamat, all of whom were members of the Jakarta Small and Medium Enterprises Agency. Among the products on sale at the event were jewelry, headscarfs, vitamin-rich juice mixes, traditional Muslim attire, batik, meatballs, fried fish snacks, toy cars and noise makers made out of varnished wood, most of which were sold at standard market value.

Arum Wulandari, a batik clothes seller, said that she did not change the price of her products for Pasar Murah.

Though the location of the event changes every year, the target buyers are the major factor when organizing the event, according to Selamat. '€œThe discount of the sembako is Rp 20,000, so we tried to calculate transportation costs to and from the market from [nearby] sub-districts so that people would have money left over,'€ he said.

The first day of the bazaar also featured a morning performance of large ondel-ondel [traditional Betawi effigies].

Around 3,000 people attended the event each day, though rain on Saturday affected turnout, Selamat said.

Palmarna, a father who came with his wife, children and grandchildren, thought that some improvements could be made. '€œIt'€™s pretty empty and quiet,'€ he said, adding that while some items were offered at discounted prices, others were no different to regular prices.

'€œThey should get more [discount] vendors,'€ he said.