Restless And Restless Street Vendors Plan To Relocate In Malioboro, Yogyakarta DPRD Forms Special Committee For Dialogue Route

Documentation-PKL along Malioboro Yogyakarta (ANTARA)

YOGYAKARTA - Yogyakarta City Council decided to form a special committee to address the plan to relocate Malioboro street vendors. The formation of a special committee is also a form of response to traders' concerns regarding the plan.

"We will soon form a special committee (pansus) which will be inaugurated today. This plan has actually been around for a long time even before the merchants came to the council," said Chairman of the Yogyakarta City DPRD Danang Rudiatmoko in Yogyakarta, Antara, Monday, January 17.

Dozens of street vendors (PKL) in Malioboro today came to the Yogyakarta City DPRD to express their objections to the planned relocation that will be carried out in the near future.

According to Danang, the special committee that will be formed will serve as a mediator who will bridge communication between traders or street vendors representatives and the Yogyakarta City Government, especially regional heads and technical agencies directly involved in the relocation plan.

"It's just a matter of scheduling the right time to hold two-way communication involving street vendors and local governments," he said.

Danang also said that communication is not only done to the Yogyakarta City Government but can be opened up to the DIY Government or governor level.

"So that the dialogue that can be established becomes wider because this plan does not only involve the Yogyakarta City Government but also extends to DIY," he said.

He believes that a good dialogue between the local government and Malioboro street vendors will result in a better structuring concept that can be understood by all parties.

“The purpose of the arrangement is to achieve balance. The street vendors are not against relocation but what they hope is that they are properly placed. The concept of structuring was initiated together," he said.

He is also worried that the two locations that have been prepared for relocation, namely the former Indra Cinema and the land of the former DIY Tourism Office, will not be able to accommodate all Malioboro street vendors.

"Several locations are still possible, such as the former Mutiara Hotel and the former Matahari which can penetrate to the back of SMP Negeri 3 Yogyakarta because the plan is to move the school to Umbulharjo," he said.

Meanwhile, one of the Malioboro street vendors who is a member of the PPLM Lesehan Association Kelik Bekti Leksono said the location to be used for relocation was deemed not feasible and did not meet the expectations of traders, especially lesehan.

“For example, there is no drainage and there is no clean water source. Until now, there is no clarity regarding the layout for culinary arrangements at the relocation location," he said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the PPKLY Cooperative, Wawan Suhendra, said that he received information that on January 22, celebrations would be held at the two relocation locations and the relocation process would be continued on February 1-7.

"If on February 8 there are still those who sell in the old place, it will be brought under control. If it is true that the plan is realized, then now it is only a matter of days," he said.

Malioboro street vendors hope that the relocation plan will be temporarily suspended as long as the Special Committee of the Yogyakarta City DPRD is still working.

“We feel that we do not have complete information regarding the relocation plan. The information submitted is not detailed," he said, again asking that the relocation plan be postponed because traders want to restore economic conditions due to the impact of the pandemic.