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Street vendors benefit from closure of shops at Tanah Abang market
Wednesday was the lucky day for streets vendors near the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, as they got more customers, thanks to the closure of many shops at the largest textile market in Southeast Asia, as their owners or attendants likely went voting.
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A woman selects clothes at the Tanah Abang market recently. Most shops at the market were closed on Wednesday due to the Jakarta election. (Kompas.com/Roderick Adrian Mozes)
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ednesday was the lucky day for streets vendors near the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, as they got more customers, thanks to the closure of many shops at the largest textile market in Southeast Asia, as their owners or attendants likely went to the polls.
The city administration had declared Wednesday a holiday due to the second round of Jakarta’s gubernatorial race.
Said, a street vendor who lives in Jati Baru, which is close to the market, said market officials had required that shopkeepers close their businesses. “Only street sellers were seen opening their businesses,” Said told The Jakarta Post while stuffing wares into a big sack.
Lina Marlina, 32, a house wife from Serpong, South Tangerang, was one of the market’s customers at day. Despite reports of possible security problems during the election, she believed Jakarta was safe, as many security personnel were on duty.
“I feel comfortable at the market on this election day. I was informed that security officers would be deployed,” said Lina.
Nurlaela, the owner of one of the few shops operating on Wednesday, argued that her shop was in the same building as her house.
“There is no reason to close my shop, although others were closed, because my shop is connected to my house,” she added.
Both Said and Nurlaela agreed that fewer visitors came to the market on election day. (ecn/bbn)
