A chorus of “boleh beli, boleh beli” can easily be imagined when walking around ITC Mangga Dua, one of several large shopping complexes in the Mangga Dua area. Besides being famous among bargain chasers, Mangga Dua has also for years been a hunting ground for branded knock- offs, from the nearly perfect imitations to the less-convincing counterfeits that look like they’ve been stitched together by some- one wearing a blindfold. Besides ITC Mangga Dua, there are a few other notable shopping precincts located within this area, includ- ing Harco Mangga Dua, Mangga Dua Square, WTC Mangga Dua, Pasar Pagi and Mangga Dua Mall. The two destinations that are most popular with the cut-rate brigade are ITC Mangga Dua and Pasar Pagi. For those who have never stepped foot in either of the afore- mentioned establishments – or even Mangga Dua in general – here’s a preview (taking ITC Mangga Dua as an example): once you enter the building, you’re welcomed by endless rows of small retail shops, piles of fake branded goods, shouty shop assistants, customers haggling for lower prices and, sometimes, a tourist or two. Similar scenes can be found at the other “malls”, although the ambience varies between them. One similarity you will en- counter, though, is the hustle and bustle of the traffic of shoppers within the premises. Mangga Dua has long been a haven for counterfeit branded goods. In fact, it's probably their number one trade – greater than the genuine articles that are sold in bulk and the computer hard- ware. A report issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative in February 2014 – titled 2013 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Mar- kets – named Harco Glodok, Ambassador Mall, Ratu Plaza, and, yes, a representative from Mangga Dua in the form of Mangga Dua Mall. Indeed in the annual Special 301 report released by the US Trade Representative in 2012, Indonesia was named one of the world’s worst countries at preventing the theft of copyrighted ma- terial, which subsequently means that we’re one of the best when it comes to counterfeit goods. In 2013, former Jakarta governor – and current Indonesian President – Joko Widodo unleashed a Governor’s Decree calling for mall owners to show respect towards intellectual property rights. His then-deputy – and now Governor of Jakarta – Ahok has also publicly stated that if malls and International Trade Centres (ITCs) continue to turn a blind eye to retailers selling rip-offs after being given a warning, the Jakarta government would use its authority
this hard-line stance, we've not yet seen a single change – or a shopping complex shut down – over counterfeit goods, which are still abundant across the city. However, it's not just replicas that lure customers to Mangga Dua. Whoesale items are another reason why people go • James Shopper, 27 years old Is this your first visit to Mangga Dua? No, I’ve been here a few times already. Today, I’m just playing chaperone to my wife. We're looking for baby stuff. • NovI ANggrAeNy Shopper, 28 years old Now that you mention it, I there. One venue that specialises in these goods is Pasar Pagi. Setting up shop in this place is an attractive proposition for many retailers because, according to one of the sellers there, Erica, the rental fee is lower than at its nearest neighbour, ITC Man- gga Dua. This is why they can sell whole- sale items at prices substantially cheaper than elsewhere. This also explains why there are so many more shoppers in Pasar Pagi. Fellow shop owner Helen praises responsible towards its tenants. She ex- plains that, as someone who operates a shop in both Pasar Pagi and ITC Mangga Dua, she finds the service charge in Pasar Pagi more reasonable. It's well-managed to the point that the building's air-condi- tioning system is always in working order and the public loos are always clean... to a certain extent. ITC Mangga Dua made headlines last year when its tenants were caught in a stand-off with the building's manage- ment company. This was the second time that a clash had occurred between them. In 2013, 672 kiosks were literally left in the dark after the management decided to up the service charges. The tenants ar- might just grab some clothes for myself while we’re here. Why Mangga Dua? I live in Pamulang, and the shopping malls over there pale in comparison to those in Mangga Dua. Have you observed any differences between Mangga Dua five years ago and now? It’s more crowded, that’s for sure! gued that they had already paid their bills, but the lights were turned off anyway. This case even reached city hall, where then- governor Jokowi had to play peacemaker between the two sides. In 2014, a simi- lar scenario took place, which lasted for months. Stephanie Lawson, a shop owner at ITC Mangga Dua, believes that the sud- den increase in service charges imposed on the tenants was uncalled for. She ques- tions the management's judgement, espe- cially since they've received nothing from them in terms of the
maintenance of the building. Shop proprietor Helen agrees.
