Rana Akbari Fitriawan, Bandung – Around 150 traders grouped under the association of traditional kiosks and markets (Pesat) staged a rally on Monday in Bandung, demanding the government heed their "marginalization" with the rapid growth of modern markets across the city.
Before staging the rally in front of the Gedung Sate building, the official administrative provincial office, the protesters vented their grievance at an Indomaret minimarket on Jl. Suropati by attaching to its door a poster that read "This minimarket is sealed because it violates PP No 112/2007 on zones and operating hours".
"We have been calling for help for the past four years but the government keeps turning a deaf ear," protester leader Usep Iskandar Wijaya said. Usep said the administration had been inconsistent with Presidential Decree No 112/2007 on the protection of traditional markets.
Vice President Boediono's statement that modern markets were allowed to operate 24 hours a day was deemed a breach of the decree that also stipulates the operating times of modern markets.
He said the condition of traditional kiosks and markets was continuing to decline because of the uncontrolled influx of modern markets in the region.
Around four years ago, he said, traders at traditional markets could earn between Rp 4 million and Rp 5 million a day. With more and more minimarkets operating, however, this had decreased by up to 60 percent. "Some can only make around Rp 250,000 a day."
The protesters urged West Java provincial and Bandung municipal administrations to issue bylaws to protect traditional markets. "Otherwise we will seal more minimarkets," Usep said. The protesters called on the Vice President to withdraw his statement on the operating hours of modern markets.
No less than 60,000 traders are said to be operating in 40 traditional markets across Bandung municipality.
Separately, the secretary of the association of retail business' (Aprindo) of West Java, Henri Hendarta, said the sealing of the minimarket was baseless, especially if the minimarket had a license to operate 24 hours a day.
He expressed concerns regarding the reported condition of the traditional market traders. However, he said, his association could do nothing about it because the authority to issue such licenses was in the hands of the government.
"The government should be more prudent before issuing a license, for example by conducting field surveys. A minimarket cannot be established within a 500-meter radius of a traditional market," he said.
He added that there were at least three minimarkets that had licenses to operate around the clock, namely Alfamart, Indomaret and Circle K. Hendri said there were around 400 minimarkets, 49 supermarkets and six hypermarkets across Bandung.
"I think it's difficult for supermarkets and hypermarkets to operate 24 hours a day, especially because of the high operating costs and limited number of customers," he said.