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In search of more space for street vendors
All you can buy: Sidewalk vendors display their second-hand products in front of Tebet railway station in Tebet, South Jakarta
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All you can buy: Sidewalk vendors display their second-hand products in front of Tebet railway station in Tebet, South Jakarta. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
A man sat on a stool fanning sate (grilled meat skewers) on a grill in front of him on a small street of a busy business district in Central Jakarta.
The wind carried the smoke away, tempting people to try his protein-laden delicacies.
An office worker came up to him and ordered a portion of the sate.
Slamet has been selling sate in Kampung Lima, a small street connecting Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sabang, Central Jakarta, since 1980. Settling in Jakarta from his hometown Madura, he has made Kampung Lima his base from the days when the street only had eight street vendors until now, where there are more than a hundred.
Mid last month, he had to relocate to a couple of meters away on the same street, to make way for the construction of food stalls. While he talked to The Jakarta Post, laborers worked hard laying grey bricks.
Gearing up for the Adipura cleanest city award inspection in March, the Central Jakarta municipal administration is working hard to tidy up the city, including its street vendors.
Last month, Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni ordered the construction of food counters in Kampung Lima as part of a plan to build dedicated culinary centers in five areas in Central Jakarta.
After Kampung Lima, the municipality would tidy up street stalls along Jl. Sidoarjo, Jl. Jaksa and Jl. Pecenongan, and at Kemayoran and Cempaka Putih, by building food counters there.
Instead of the streets being eaten up by vendor carts, the plan is to construct food counters and stalls along the side of the street.
Convenient stores: Jl. Kampung Lima, Central Jakarta, is packed with street vendors selling various things, from clothes and electrical appliances to food. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)
Kampung Lima is a street designated for street vendors. The street is filled with stalls selling knick knacks - towels, electrical appliances, children's wear and food.
Jl. Sabang is also filled with street-side warung, which sit next to parked cars.
According to the plan, there would be 80 counters at the designated spots in Kamping Lima. The area would accommodate 160 sellers, alternating shifts between night and day.
With the designated space, the municipality aims to tidy up Kampung Lima and Sabang of street vendors.
Slamet said he welcomed the change. "I think this is good, as long as we all get space there," he said.
He said his earnings decreased by more than half since construction started, as he had to squeeze in among other vendors. During construction, Slamet sells Rp 300,000 (US$26) worth of sate per day. "Before, I could get up to Rp 700,000," he said.
However, Slamet said he did not mind the loss of income as the construction was temporary. Construction will be completed in March.
While Slamet and other vendors in Kampung Lima and Sabang were lucky to be given space, street vendors in other areas in Jakarta were not so lucky.
To tidy up the city, last weekend Sylviana instructed to lift the permits for Jl. Bendungan Hilir, Jl. Batu Tulis, and Jl. MH Thamrin Paseban, which were designated areas for street vendors.
Last year, the municipality also lifted the permits along Jl. Kebon Sirih II, Jl. Pintu Air, Tanah Abang and Jl. Pos in Pasar Baru.
There are 62 areas in Central Jakarta where street vendors are allowed, down from 66 last year. With the decrease in designated areas, there is only enough room for 2,483 street vendors, down from 2,583 last year.
The reduction of space where street vendors are allowed occurred despite suggestions by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week to avoid forced evictions.
The President said the number of street vendors was likely to spike as the impact of the global economic crisis hit Indonesia's workforce. So, he said, appropriate measures must be in place for those who turned to the streets to make a living.
Yayat Supriatna, a city planning expert from Trisakti University, said the informal business sector, including street vendors, should be given space in the city.
"The informal sector should be given space, because it gives the city color," he said.
"The problem, however, is that in Jakarta there are too many people working in the informal sector, while there is only limited land for them.
"Jakarta is a source of money. People sleeping on the side of the street will get money, and people pretending to be crazy on the bus will get money," he said.
He said the price of land in Jakarta was so high, making it hard for the government to buy land and set designated places for street vendors.
"It's a social problem," he said. "A city will transform itself into a more orderly place along with lifestyle improvement of its citizens."
