The ban on minimarkets selling alcohol finally went into full effect last Thursday. Critics of the ban (including Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama) warned that it would increase black market demand for cheap and easily accessible alcohol, and that prediction already seems to be coming true.
Sindonews did some undercover reporting last weekend and found numerous street side vendors, especially in areas like Hayam Wuruk, Gajah Mada and Taman Sari, were selling alcohol under the table (or under the stall, as it were).
The report said many of the vendors offering the illicit alcohol, including beer and wine, were primarily in the business of selling “performance enhancing drugs” such as Viagra and “obat kuat,” already a grey market occupation at best.
Often the vendors would keep their alcohol in a hidden place, such as under their cart or in a nearby vehicle. Most were also careful enough to only sell to longtime, trusted customers.
Rudi, a 35-year-old vendor on Jalan Gajah Mada in West Jakarta, said he had been selling all sorts of things from his pushcart but that it was only recently that he started selling alcohol.
He said several of his customers had complained about the difficulty of finding alcoholic beverages, especially beer, in the last two weeks.
“It hasn’t been a week yet [since I started selling], one bottle of beer for Rp 35,000. On a busy night, I could sell up to three boxes. But on a normal day I’ll sell at most half a box,” Rudi said as quoted by Sindonews.
Another vendor, 27-year old Ucok who works around Jalan Tanjung Duren Raya, West Jakarta, has a semi-permanent stall that looks like it only sells basics like soft drinks and snacks. But he’s also recently gotten into the underground alcohol game.
Ucok said he had started selling alcohol to long time customers a few weeks ago. He also said demand for beer has risen sharply in the past week, allowing him to sell two to three boxes of beer per night.
With deaths from tainted alcohol already a problem before the minimarket beer ban, we are worried it is only a matter of time before this new regulation leads to more incidences of alcohol poisoning. Governor Ahok’s beer store idea is sounding better and better by the day.
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