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Association protests street vendor eviction
The Indonesian Street Vendor Association (APKLI) has criticized the Jakarta administrationâs decision to evict street vendors in several areas in the city
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T
he Indonesian Street Vendor Association (APKLI) has criticized the Jakarta administration's decision to evict street vendors in several areas in the city.
During the Idul Fitri holiday last week, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) conducted raids in areas popular among street vendors such as the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, Jatinegara in East Jakarta and Kota Tua or Old Town in West Jakarta.
However, APKLI head Hoiza Siregar said on Monday that the city administration had not provided a solution for the evicted street vendors and should do so. She added that the vendors were now left jobless with no income. '[The city administration] has not thought about the vendors' livelihoods. What if they turn to crime? Wouldn't that be more worrisome?' she said.
Hoiza added that the evictions would not solve any problems. 'After a while, the vendors might still return to the streets,' she said.
She further said that she opposed the administration's new system to manage street vendors because not all vendors would be included in it.
In an attempt to better manage street vendors, the Jakarta administration will test a new system that will register all vendors, assign them to designated areas and give them banking access. The Cooperative, Small and Medium Enterprises (KUMKM) Agency has started a six-month trial with 2,875 vendors.
Each vendor was given a dual-purpose ATM debit card issued by city-owned lender Bank DKI that also functioned as a street vendor identification (PKL ID) card with the vendor's name and products.
The KUMKM Agency has earmarked two locations for trial in each municipality ' Palmerah and Jl. Surabaya in Central Jakarta; Permai Koja and Plumpang Market in North Jakarta; Makasar and Jl. Lapangan Tembak in East Jakarta; Taman Puring and Bintaro in South Jakarta; and Jl. Meruya Ilir and Tegal Alur in West Jakarta.
Vendors must pay a small fee of Rp 2,000 (US 17 cents) to Rp 4,000 (34 cents), which will be automatically charged to their cards each day, to continue selling.
'Not all vendors will be included in the new system. What will happen to them?' Hoiza said.
KUMKM Agency head Joko Kundaryo said the eviction was inevitable. 'Street vendors have become a problem for the administration. They use the streets for their businesses and they add to the traffic and litter problems, so of course we must evict them,' Joko told the The Jakarta Post on Monday.
He added that the city administration had already provided a place for street vendors to sell their products.
'We've assigned more than 30 places for street vendors in each district. They should sell where they're allowed to. If not, they should know the consequences,' Joko said.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama was angered on Monday when he received reports that a Satpol PP officer was arrested by the police last Saturday for allegedly using excessive force while evicting street vendors in Monas last Saturday.
'[An officer] was accused of battery. The police always arrest Satpol PP officers when they conduct raids in Monas. This is ridiculous. A Satpol PP officer was recently injured in the head by a police officer but was the latter arrested? No,' Ahok told reporters at City Hall.
