T

he legal battle between thousands of vendors and the state-owned railway operator, PT KAI, has yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Earlier this year, more than 2,000 vendors who were evicted from 16 train stations across Greater Jakarta filed a class-action lawsuit against state railway operator KAI, the Transportation Ministry, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry (BUMN) and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, demanding Rp 141.5 billion (US$12 million) in compensation.

KAI, in an attempt to improve services last year, removed all vendors from stations in Greater Jakarta to widen areas for passengers and provide more parking space. The move was part of the company'€™s efforts to service 1.2 million passengers in 2018.

KAI maintains that its decision to evict street vendors from train stations across Greater Jakarta was a lawful decision based on '€œlegal considerations'€.

According to one of KAI'€™s lawyers, Robert Aritonang, the vendors, who operated on KAI land, did not own legal land certificates. Thus, he said, KAI had every right to evict them.

'€œKAI will not give compensation to illegal vendors or squatters,'€ Robert told The Jakarta Post recently, adding that the eviction was inevitable in order for KAI to improve services.

Meanwhile, Transportation Ministry legal bureau head Kamran Lossen said that the ministry was still unsure of the vendors'€™ legal status in the stations. He added that the ministry was under pressure to increase transportation services.

After being evicted, many vendors became jobless and fell into poverty. While some managed to acquire loans and start new businesses, many lost their homes as well as their main source of income.

For example, 44-year-old Prasetyo Wasito, who was evicted from his home and kiosk next to Duri Station in West Jakarta, now lives nearby a guard post while his wife and two children live with his younger sibling in Jembatan Besi, West Jakarta.

'€œI lost everything. I lost my income, I lost my home, and now I'€™m losing my family,'€ Prasetyo said.

Prasetyo, who used to sell beverages, said that he was currently jobless and reliant on friends and family for money to meet his daily needs.

'€œI don'€™t work anymore. I don'€™t have money to start a new business. Fortunately, some friends and family are kind enough to lend me money,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, another former Duri Station vendor, Sutini, who sold Muslim garments, has managed to relocate her business after being evicted.

'€œI borrowed Rp 25 million from my mother for business capital. Now, I sell Muslim garments at a traditional market in Tanah Pasir, North Jakarta,'€ she said.

Sutini said that although her income had greatly decreased since she was evicted from the station, she earned just enough money to feed her family.

'€œI still hope that KAI, the Transportation Ministry, BUMN and the President will listen to us and give us compensation. They owe us,'€ she said.

'€”JP/Dewanti A. Wardhani