AHADNEWS ■ The government was asked to be wiser in responding to the plan to make Malioboro a pedestrian area or free of motorized vehicles. In order not to pursue UNESCO's cultural heritage assessment, the interests of the lives of hundreds of traders, including thousands of employees, are sacrificed.
Chairman of the Malioboro Entrepreneurs Association and Ahmad Yani (PPMAY) Sadana Mulyono said that the motorized vehicle-free trial of Malioboro since November 3, 2020 has had a real impact on traders. This policy makes businesses lose buyers.
Therefore, PPMAY feels that it does not need to free Malioboro from motorized vehicles all day long if it is only to get an assessment from UNESCO.
"If it is true that pedestrians draw value from UNESCO, they do not need to be closed for a full day, it is better if they are held during special hours, such as from 18.00 - 22.00," Sadana Mulyono told Tagar, Sunday, November 8, 2020.
Sadana said, a total of 220 shop owners along Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Ahmad Yani are members of PPMAY. The trial made Malioboro a pedestrian area for about a week causing the turnover of traders to drop by 80 percent. In fact, many shops do not find any buyers
"Many consumers or residents cancel shopping at Malioboro, they choose to shop at a location with easy access. In fact, Malioboro is a tourist icon because it is a dynamic business center, nothing is available," he said.
For PPMAY, so far Malioboro has been considered the heart of the economy in Yogyakarta. Many people depend on living in one of the mainstay tourist destinations of the Student City, including street vendors (PKL).
"It is closed for a full day, the shops are losing money and finally the logical decision of the entrepreneurs is to just close the shops. Then what about the fate of the more than ten thousand shop employees if Malioboro is kept closed," he criticized.
Sadana added that his party had already held a meeting on Friday, November 6. During the meeting, shop owners, management, and employees complained about the pedestrian trial policy hitting their businesses.
Material collection was also carried out considering that PPMAY also plans to have a dialogue with policy makers, the DIY Regional Government, at Kepatihan on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.
Another PPMAY manager, Karyanto, felt that there was a setback in business and effort in implementing the motorized vehicle-free Malioboro trial. Consumers are stuck in traffic at points heading to Malioboro and eventually switch to shops in other areas.
"Obviously we feel a setback in business. Many consumers are stuck in traffic in Ngampilan, Suryotomo, and Ngupasan so they cancel entering shops," he continued.
"Has the Yogyakarta Regional Government ever thought about this difficulty? We are the most affected by the effort to make a living," he concluded. (R/01)
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