Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – A draft bylaw on the planning and improvement of traditional markets, shopping centers and modern stores, currently being drawn up by the Makassar municipal council, has raised protests from traditional market vendors who claim it will disadvantage them.
Traditional market vendors rallied recently at the City Council to list their grievances and submit an alternative draft ordinance they had drawn up with several NGOs advocating for them.
The protesters said the bill, drafted on the initiative of municipal councillors, had not provided traditional or local market vendors with any protection, but instead threatened the presence of traditional markets, because traditional market vendors were not involved in the formulating process.
In the draft, the City Council points out that local or traditional markets are to be managed exclusively by the municipality-owned Pasar Raya Makassar, without the involvement of an independent team to oversee the management.
"It has deviated from the market concept itself, as they regard the local market as a traditional market," said Isjak Salim, director of Active Society Institute (ASCI), which provides advocacy for local market vendors.
"Isn't a traditional market identical to a dirty place that should be modernized? A modern market concept means traditional market traders will be evicted, because they can't afford to buy or rent expensive shops and stalls."
Another bone of contention in the draft ordinance is the equating of local markets with modern markets.
The vendors say the definition is unfair because local markets are forced to compete with modern markets, which are solely financed.
In the draft ordinance – on the "protection, empowerment of local markets and planning of shopping centers and modern stores" – councilors emphasize the use of the term "local market" and classify it into three groups" neighbourhood markets, supporting markets and wholesale markets.
Of the 57 local markets in Makassar, Terong Market has been proposed as a wholesale market.
In response to the vendors' protests, councilor Hasyim Ramlan, who is the also special committee head for the draft bylaw, said the draft ordinance was aimed at improving local markets so they would be neater and cleaner, thus putting consumers at ease when shopping for groceries.
"It won't be like now, when local markets are filthy and dirty, due to the careless disposal of garbage and waste from the remnants of merchandise, which is disgusting when people go to local markets," he said, pointing out that other provinces had clean traditional markets.