Exclusion from Philosophy Axis Misconceptions

This article was originally written and published in Indonesian on 5 May 2022.

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The sidewalks along Malioboro are empty, with only a row of shops and passing vehicles. There is no longer the hustle and bustle of merchants selling their wares. They have been banished from the streets in order to preserve the philosophy axis.

“Whether we are coming back to Malioboro or not depends on Ngarso Dalem (Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X),” said Ahmad, a street vendor that uses one of the stalls at Teras Malioboro 2, a shopping complex located near Malioboro, a popular tourist destination in the city; Teras Malioboro is divided into two buildings, Teras Malioboro 1 and Teras Malioboro 2. Lost in thought, he was gazing at his piled goods. His eyes wander around the roof of synthetic cement installed above the stall. Once in a while, he rushes to wipe his goods that got wet because of the raindrops. Since Thursday, February 3, 2022, Malioboro has already been vacant, leaving some empty buildings. Ahmad and other street vendors have been relocated to Teras Malioboro 1 and Teras Malioboro 2.

The relocation policy that impacts Ahmad and the other street vendors is caused by a vision from Yogyakarta’s Governor, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. He planned to present the sumbu filosofi, ‘Yogyakarta’s philosophy axis,’ as a World Heritage to UNESCO. In the history of its establishment, Yogyakarta has an imaginary line that connects Merapi Mountain and the Southern Sea.1 The philosophy axis is a line that connects three points in that imaginary line, Tugu Pal Putih (the monument of Yogyakarta); Kraton Yogyakarta (the Sultanate palace); and Panggung Krapyak (a historical building in the shape of a room resembling a cube). Malioboro becomes one of the locations that is passed by.

According to Era Hareva, Head of the Research Division at Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Yogyakarta), many street vendors are facing a decline in revenue after being relocated. “This is definitely not what the philosophy axis means. The local regulation of Yogyakarta includes people’s welfare as one of the philosophy axis’ significance,” she insisted.

Era revealed the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute had accommodated 159 reports from the street vendors from Monday, January 10, until Friday, January 21, 2022. Some of them are reports about the quick relocation time limit and uncertainty from the government regarding the revenue decline. She also estimated another problem with the relocation policy. “Our next problem is whether this policy only applies to the street vendors or not. People who push carts for a living still depend on street vendors,” Era said.

Besides the contradiction with the philosophy axis’ significance, the relocation has not worked both ways between the regional government and the street vendors. “The government has not done any two-way communication,” said Upik Supriyati, one of the Malioboro’s street vendors. She confessed this relocation policy was once an issue about tidiness. The information spread started from the government, community leaders, group leaders, and finally to members of the community with relatively many people. The layered system of the information’s spread creates perplexity. In the end, it induced confusion for the street vendors and even the general public.

Upik said they only received information about the motive for the relocation from social media. The reason behind the relocation was to propose Malioboro as a World Heritage to UNESCO. Another reason for the relocation is pressure from the store owners in Malioboro to move street vendors that stand in the way of their stores. Upik added this relocation idea has already been the Sultan’s urge for a long time, waiting for its realization. “We only know that information from social media. The government has not talked to us directly,” Upik said.

In response to the street vendors’ complaints, the Regional People’s Representative Council of Yogyakarta conducted an audience on Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Foki Ardiyanto, one of the members of the Regional People’s Representative Council of Yogyakarta Commission B, stated that he had formed a special committee to help with the follow-up process on the relocation of Malioboro street vendors. “The special committee has been formed. A meeting will be held soon because this issue concerns the livelihoods of many people,” said Foki. He did not hesitate to put the name of God and the people on his promise to take responsibility regarding the relocation.

In contrast to Foki’s statement, Ahmad stated that until today, there had been no proof of the special committee’s work. “The special committee did nothing, and we haven’t heard about their further actions ever since the last conducted audience,” said Ahmad. The City Council and the Special Region of Yogyakarta Government remained silent when BALAIRUNG asked for clarification on the philosophy axis. All messages and phone calls from BALAIRUNG were ignored. The City Council, however, promised an interview session, which has not been heard from until now. Meanwhile, until this news was written, the Secretary of Yogyakarta had ignored the interview request letter we submitted earlier.

The Misconception of the Philosophy Axis

On the other hand, many academics said the relocation of Malioboro street vendors does not correlate with the philosophy axis proposed as a World Heritage Site. One of them is an archaeology lecturer at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Daud Aris Tanudirdjo, who said the relocation of street vendors conceptually has no relation to the philosophy axis that will be proposed as a World Heritage site. He also said UNESCO does not require eviction for the assessment of intangible culture’s submission. “On the contrary, World Heritage sites emphasize sustainability in development that could prioritize the interests of the community, so evicting street vendors will only bring repercussions to the nomination,” explained Daud.

Daud added that street vendors could support or weaken the philosophy axis of Malioboro. “Street vendors can be an advantage if they create a disciplined atmosphere, do fair bargaining, maintain cleanliness, and do other things that are able to reflect Yogyakarta’s noble culture,” explained Daud. However, Daud also emphasized that street vendors could be a weak point of the philosophy axis if they do something that does not reflect Yogyakarta’s culture, like raising the prices as they please or doing many other negative things.

Meanwhile, Kendal, a researcher at the Anthropology Laboratory for Research and Action (Laura) Universitas Gadjah Mada, provided a slightly different view. According to him, it does not matter if there are street vendors in Malioboro; it does not affect the philosophy axis as they have already faded away. “Malioboro is now a place for people to take selfies, hang out, and even pee. There is no longer a philosophy experience in Malioboro,” he said.

According to Kendal, the philosophy axis proposal was confusing. Kendal added the submission of the philosophy axis as a World Heritage Site to UNESCO has been assigned since 2012, long before the relocation issue emerged. “The philosophy axis suddenly became the reason for the relocation, as if it was just by coincidence,” he said.

For Kendal, the main problem is the Javanese values that have been fading for a long time, starting from the establishment of Malioboro Mall. There are Hindu traces in the form of a punden (the tomb of someone considered the originator of the village community) that lay beneath the building. Hence, according to Kendal, we should have questioned the potential of relocating Malioboro’s street vendors to restore the faded Javanese culture.

Different Fates of the Two Complexes

The atmosphere in Malioboro is not the same as it used to be after the relocation of street vendors. Now, they are gathered in two concentrated spots: Teras Malioboro 1 and Teras Malioboro 2. The building of Teras Malioboro 2 appears to be better in maintenance and is promoted intensely on social media. The vendors do not complain much about provided facilities there. “The main problem is the declining revenue. As for the facilities, Teras Malioboro 1 is more than enough,” said Beki, a mixed fruit ice cream vendor in Teras Malioboro 1.

However, vendors who got their spot in Teras Malioboro 2 have a different experience. “The condition of Teras Malioboro 2 is more concerning because the roof leaks, and sometimes it floods,” complained Upik. When the vendors reported it to the Department of Culture in Yogyakarta, they threw the responsibility to the contractor, claiming that it was still under warranty.

Upik added that the shelter looks crowded from the outside, but only the strategically positioned stalls are lucky to get a visit from people. “The rest are in a very difficult situation. Visitors are reluctant to go deeper into the area,” said Upik. It is not uncommon for her to hear visitors saying that going to Malioboro is pointless without street vendors. They feel that there is nothing special about Malioboro if it is just a row of ordinary shops.

Although it is a response from the Local Government regarding the relocation, the two shopping complexes are managed by different institutions. Upik explained the Yogyakarta Provincial Government manages Teras Malioboro 1, while the Yogyakarta City Government manages Teras Malioboro 2. He added that Teras Malioboro 2, provided by the Yogyakarta City Government, is only temporary. “As far as I know, Teras Malioboro 2 is only temporary, but I don’t know if it’s only for the next 1-2 years or so,” said Upik.

Upik explained that Teras Malioboro 2 has a capacity of around 700–800 stalls, but more than 1.000 vendors were moved there. As a result, the promised size of the stall, which was supposed to be 1.5×1.5 meters, had to be cut to 1.2×1.2 meters. The same thing happened in block F, which was supposed to be the main route for visitors. The block had to be used as an additional block to accommodate the excess vendors, leaving only a narrower alley. “The number of vendors in Teras Malioboro 2 exceeds the capacity because the building had already been built before they calculated the total amount of street vendors,” added Upik.

The street vendors admit that they have yielded now. They can not do much because they are not in a good position to complain anymore; they are trapped and left with no choice. “Well, we vendors also want to do rebellious action, but we can not do it because we are already stuck there,” said Upik. Now, they only hope for communication that works between the government and the vendors so that they can hold dialogues and convey their wishes. “Our biggest wish is to return to Malioboro,” said Upik.

Upik admitted if the government wants them to sell their goods with attributes that reflect Yogyakarta’s culture to preserve it,  the street vendors are willing to do so. “If the government wants street vendors to do their job wearing traditional clothes once a month or anything that represents Jogja’s culture, we are ready,” said Upik. She also revealed the vendors are ready if the government asks them to make stalls in the form of a Joglo, a traditional Javanese house. “We are ready to do anything to preserve Yogyakarta’s culture, unlike the present Malioboro, which seems not to have any culture at all,” Upik concluded.

Authors: Muhammad Rafi Suryopambudi, Sidney Alvionita, and Wahid Nur Kartiko
Editor: Jacinda Nuurun Addunyaa
Photographer: Alika Bettyno Sastro and Bayu Tirta Hanggara
Illustrator: Maximillian Caesaro Parama Bisatya
Translator: Aisya Sabili