Street vending is a viable  economic option
THE Madang municipal authorities recently banned street vending in the town.
In the National Capital District, police harass street vendors, confiscate and destroy their goods and recently, they even shut down the market in Gordon.
Almost all urban authorities in PNG have restrictive rules and regulations against street vending.
The actions, carried out by riot police in monitoring street vending and municipal authorities enforcing restrictive rules, have caused untold suffering for the urban poor in the city, many of whom rely on vending to make a living.
Many people also rely on these vendors for goods and services that are increasingly difficult to obtain in regular stores at accessible prices.
Research shows that street markets always contribute positively to the economic well-being of both developing and developed nations by providing a competitive alternative to capital-intensive fixed-location stores, particularly in economically-depressed regions or nations where capital is scarce.
The horrible abuses of human rights that are being carried out by the local government and the police are excessive.
And the sad fact is that the authorities have the mistaken belief that street vendors and street markets are somehow antithetical to capitalist development.
While street markets are often accused of harbouring black marketers and a cause for petty criminal activities, litter, obstruction to traffic and pedestrian and a risk to public health, they should be thought of more as an economic reality check for governments which strangle the economy with too much bureaucratic red tape.
Pointless regulations that tie up economic activity in the formal economy will create a demand for ways to get around those regulations, and selling on the street is often one answer.
Street vending is simply a way in which people exercise the most basic human right of all: perform honest work to support their families.
It is also a good use of public place.
If governments are not willing to take the responsibility to make sure that everyone has a job, then it is their responsibility to make adequate allowances for people to provide for their own well-being.
Informal sector activities, including street vending, is the best alternative available.
Street vending is a growing economic factor around the world in part due to the collapse of alternative sources of income as globalisation has led to an increased concentration of wealth and production at the expense of local businesses.
While it is unclear whether this will lead to the creation of more good jobs, the poor and the desperate cannot wait around for the long-term.
They need income now to keep them alive.
Street vending is often an option because it requires comparatively little capital. Unfortunately it is often made far more complicated and expensive by needless regulations that supposedly protect the consumer but usually simply prevent many people from participating.
The vendor invests his or her labour, which otherwise would be wasted waiting for a job to open up, and provides a necessary service, as proven by the fact that the goods produced are rapidly bought and consumed.
Developing a vibrant informal economy and street vending is not rocket science, and neither is it an inherent evil.

John B Varey, Informal Sector Committee, Port Moresby
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