Anies's Men Reject The Crowd At Tanah Abang Market, Kecolongan

Head of DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency Syafrin Liputo (Photo: Diah Ayuwardhani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, denied that his party had missed the crowd that occurred at the Tanah Abang Market. Syafrin said, before last weekend, Tanah Abang was not very crowded.

"It's not that it's not too closely monitored. So, after we have seen, Tanah Abang Market is not too crowded. If we look from the ground to the top floor, there is no density," Syafrin told reporters, Tuesday, May 4.

Syafrin claimed that the "sea" of visitors to Tanah Abang began on Friday, 30 April. At that time, visitors who were scattered from various market blocks in Tanah Abang returned home and piled up at Tanah Abang Station.

"Everyone who had been scattered in the market headed to a point at Tanah Abang Station. As a result, there was a density there and that was what was seen on the previous Friday afternoon. Then it went viral," said Syafrin.

The next Saturday and Sunday, density returned to the market. Until finally, the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan made a policy to restrict visitors to the largest market in Southeast Asia.

Syafrin said that his party will continue to monitor the impact of the restrictions that are currently being carried out until after the Eid Al-Fitr 1442 Hijriah, especially the termination of Tanah Abang Station services in the afternoon.

However, if conditions are conducive before Eid, the DKI Provincial Government will return to normal conditions. "So, for example the next three days are conducive, we will try to return to normal. This is a dynamic situation," he said.

As is known, over the past few days, Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta has been crowded with visitors who want to buy new clothes ahead of Eid Al-Fitr. The crowd was inevitable, even outside the market building.

Finally, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan took steps so that the crowd in Tanah Abang would not repeat itself and one of them was by dividing the schedule for the market closure.

A member of Commission A DPRD DKI from the PSI faction, Wiliam Aditya Sarana, regretted that Anies had just started taking action when it was widely reported in the mass media and social media, even though the crowd began to surge in the past week in various places such as in markets, shopping centers and tourist attractions.

“The Tanah Abang crowd didn't suddenly happen in one day, it's just that Governor Anies only took action when it went viral in the media. If it is not viral, I don't think there will be any action, "William said.

Jakarta DPRD PDIP Faction member Gilbert Simanjuntak also considered that the crowd that occurred at Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta was not because the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government was missing, but because of the negligence of DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

"It seems that there is no direction and supervision from the DKI Pemprov, so this happens. There should be an apology for sacrificing the safety of the people," said Gilbert.