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Idul Adha livestock merchants brawl with officers in Tanah Abang
Mean streets: Traders sell goats and cattle illegally on Jl
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span class="caption">Mean streets: Traders sell goats and cattle illegally on Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. The traders engaged in a brawl on Tuesday with Jakarta's Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) personnel when the latter tried to move them from the sidewalk. The temporary cattle market has appeared ahead of Idul Adha, the Islamic Day of Sacrifice. JP/AWO
In the run-up to the Idul Adha celebrations, many merchants showcase and sell sacrificial livestock in public spaces, such as sidewalks and parks.
On the day of the festival, Muslims gather for prayers early in the morning before slaughtering cows and goats, whose meat is then cooked in a range of dishes.
Recently, however, the city administration issued Gubernatorial Decree No. 67/2014 regulating the sale and slaughter of livestock. The regulation was signed by Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama on July 17 while he was acting governor.
According to the decree, livestock merchants are prohibited from trading on sidewalks or in green spaces or parks.
The decree's other main stipulation is that the slaughter of livestock is prohibited on elementary school premises. Ahok says this rule follows protests from elementary school principals who do not want their pupils to witness the slaughter of animals.
Despite the ban, however, many merchants can still be seen selling livestock on roadsides.
On Tuesday morning, around 50 unarmed officers from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) were mobilized to evict dozens of merchants from the sidewalks of Jl. KH Mas Mansyur in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
The merchants, however, resisted fiercely, launching pebbles and shards of glass at the officers. One man even brought a machete.
An officer was beaten by a group of merchants, but sustained only minor injuries.
Eventually, the outnumbered officers fled to the Tanah Abang District Office.
One merchant, Abdullah, said that he and others like him had been selling livestock in the area for years and refused to be forced out.
'We only do this once a year and only for a few days. We have been selling here for years with no problem. We are not breaking the law,' he said.
Abdullah was one of the merchants who took up arms against the Satpol PP officers.
'We will keep fighting. Every citizen has a right to do business,' he said.
Another merchant, Ridho, questioned the motives behind the city administration's new regulation. Like Abdullah, Ridho has been plying his livestock on the area's sidewalks for years.
'We have sold on the sidewalks of Jl. KH Mas Mansyur for decades now. I suspect that Ahok is behind this new rule,' he said.
The gubernatorial decree has been subject to a good deal of misinterpretation. Some have accused Ahok, a Christian of Chinese decent, of trying to suppress Islamic values in Jakarta. Others have purposely twisted the issue to attack Ahok.
For example, the gubernatorial decree states that merchants must not trade in public areas and must not slaughter livestock in elementary schools or in public spaces such as parks. However, many have taken this as an attempt by the city administration to ban outright the slaughter of animals for Idul Adha.
During a protest by the hardline Islam Defenders Front (FPI) at the Jakarta Legislative Council building last week, the protesters attacked Ahok on the new regulation. They claimed that he was trying to gradually erase Islamic values in the city.
'Ahok has shown disrespect to Muslims. He has prohibited people from selling livestock,' one protester claimed.
As of Tuesday evening, dozens of livestock merchants on Jl. KH Mas Mansyur were still trading.
Central Jakarta's Satpol PP head, Yadi Rusmayadi, said his officers had failed in their task because they were outnumbered by the merchants.
'Our numbers are limited. For the time being we will let them trade. There is no other option,' he said.
Meanwhile, Tanah Abang district head Hidayatullah said that he had informed Ahok of the incident.
Tanah Abang, the busiest commercial district in the country, is said to be run by thugs who take their orders from United Development Party (PPP) councilor Abraham 'Lulung' Lunggana. Lulung and Ahok have on several occasions come to political blows over the city administration's efforts to redevelop Tanah Abang.
