Photo: illustration
Hundreds of kaki lima street vendors (PKL) who used to hawk their food and goods at the National Monument (Monas) came to City Hall yesterday afternoon to protest their eviction.
Although PKL have long been illegal inside Monas, they used to be generally tolerated by authorities, some whom were suspected of taking bribes to allow the PKL to do business inside.
Jakarta Governor Basuki Purnama Tjahaja put a stop to that recently with the opening of Lenggang Jakarta, a modern food court located inside Monas which is now the only place where PKL are allowed to do business at regulated kiosks.
During speeches given at yesterday’s protest, PKL leaders described the government’s regulations against unlicensed PKL as being tantamount to colonialism.
“[The situation] of the PKL in Monas is no different than when we were colonized by the Dutch. The actions of the city administration are no different than the actions of the Dutch who colonized Indonesia 350 years ago,” said Ali Mashun, the head of the Kali Lima Merchants Association of Indonesia (APKLI), as quoted by JPNN.
