So Happy that Tanah Abang’s Traffic is Jammed Again

· 4 minutes read

For most people, traffic jams are annoying and must be avoided. However, this is not the case for traders in Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta. After closing their shops for two days in fear of violent riots, Tanah Abang Market roared back to life on Friday (24/5/2019). Along with it, its most iconic feature also returned: severe traffic jams.

On Friday, traffic in Tanah Abang Market was jammed. Public minivans lined up on the roadside and endless sounds of horns filled the air.

Visitors and workers crossed the roads wherever they pleased. Business had truly returned to the market. “This is Tanah Abang. Yesterday, it was not,” joked Wawan Kurniawan, 43, who sells dates on the roadside under the bridge in Tanah Abang’s Blok A Market.

Wawan was right. Traffic jams and chaos are pretty much the defining and most memorable features of Tanah Abang.

These features were not seen on May 21 and 22. For two consecutive days, namely on Tuesday and Wednesday, the market at the heart of downtown Jakarta was a ghost town. Shops were closed and the roads were completely deserted.

Both traders and customers were frightened by potential riots, as violence between protesters and the authorities had broken out on Jl. KH Mas Mansyur and Jl. Jatibaru on Wednesday (22/5) between dawn and noon.

After closing his shop for two days, Wawan said he had lost between Rp 6 million (US$416.97) and Rp 9 million of potential income. Fortunately, dates are non-perishable and he could just save them for another day.

City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya president director Arief Nasrudin said that, in a meeting between PD Pasar Jaya, the Central Jakarta Police chief, the Tanah Abang Police chief, senior traders and shop owners, everyone had agreed that it would be safe to resume activities at the market.

Wawan was not alone. Worker Asropi, 35, was also glad to see the market reopened.

While wiping the sweat on his forehead, he said he did not earn any money in the two days that the market was closed. He said he usually earned Rp 50,000 a day for carrying 10-12 huge sacks of textile products. One sack can weigh up to 100 kilograms.

“Getting exhausted is much better than lying around and not getting any money,” Asropi said.

Muslim wear seller Bondan, 30, in Tanah Abang Blok B building, said he was glad the market had reopened. When Blok B market was closed for two days, Bondan was not paid.

In one day, he is paid Rp 120,000 for shopkeeping. “If the market is closed, the shop is closed, too. I cannot work and earn any money,” he said.

Piling up in the warehouseTextile product suppliers also cheered Tanah Abang’s reopening.

“If the market resumes normal operations, goods distribution will also be normal. Many traders from regions [across Indonesia] buy their goods in Tanah Abang,” Indonesian Textile Association chair Ade Sudrajat said.

Ade said that during Tanah Abang’s two-day shutdown, textile products were piling up in warehouses across West Java. These products were usually sent to Tanah Abang.

Ade estimated that the market’s two-day shutdown incurred lost income of up to Rp 360 billion.

Not far from Tanah Abang, economic activities have also returned to normal gradually in Petamburan, West Jakarta. Rioters were concentrated on Jl. KS Tubun in Petamburan on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Police Mobile Brigade dormitory in Petamburan was also attacked by rioters.

On Friday, street-side sellers, ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers and bajaj (pedicab) drivers were seen serving customers.

Chicken porridge seller Hermawan, 45, on Jl. KS Tubun 2 said that most street-side sellers had resumed their operations on Friday morning. Many were hoping that situation had truly returned to normal so they could safely resume their businesses. “Many only resumed operations [on Friday] as it had been dangerous [on Thursday],” he said.

Maintain order

On Friday, banners with the words “Democracy Yes, Anarchy No. Don’t Abuse Tenabang for Political Agendas” were seen in Tanah Abang Market. Tenabang is the colloquial spelling of Tanah Abang.

Both Wawan and Bondan agreed with the call. “What is the protest about anyway? It’s not important. It just forced us to close our shops,” Wawan said.

Wawan, who lives nearby on Jl. Jatibaru, said the rioters were not locals. “They are all outsiders. They come here and, instead of being polite, they riot. It’s the locals and traders that are harmed,” he said.

He continued that he hoped order could be maintained so that economic activities could return to normal. (BKY/VAN/HLN)

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