REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said he plans to bring discipline to the management of street vendors in Jakarta by adopting the system followed in South Korea.
He made the statement here on Monday upon his return from South Korea, having attended the opening of the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.
Jakarta has been formally named the host country for the next Asian Games.
While in South Korea, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama observed the way street vendors were managed in that country, as well as their giant levee to deal with flooding.
Street vendors have, so far, been a cause for concern for administrators in Jakarta as their roadside stalls have often disrupted the flow of traffic and created disorderliness.
Purnama, or Ahok as he is also popularly known, noted that vendors in South Korea sold their merchandise on roadsides as well as in parks.
"During my visit to South Korea yesterday (September 21), I saw that street vendors were allowed to carry out their businesses in parks or on roadsides, but their numbers and locations were kept limited. I will try the system here," Purnama said at City Hall.
"So it is not very different from the way things are here in Jakarta. The only difference is that vendors there are more disciplined because their numbers are not as high," he added.
The deputy governor remarked on how street vendors worked on the principle of being close to their customers. So he wishes to make them more orderly and closer to the community in Jakarta.
"Our only fear is that irresponsible persons will sell a location to more vendors that these are meant for," he said.
With the aim to keep their numbers in check, street vendors who wish to carry out their business must register with the provincial government before being allocated a location.
"Later, if we find any party selling locations to illegal vendors, they will face harsh sanctions such as being sent to jail or even a death sentence," he stated.
Jakarta also plans to build an enormous dyke to tackle the flooding that the city always witnesses in monsoons.
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