Stores Shut Over Zoning Rules, Then Reopen 
CENTRAL LOMBOK Indonesia, BATIKNews. Online
 The retail drama in Central Lombok just got a plot twist. After 25 modern stores were sealed off by the local government for allegedly violating zoning rules, Alfamart and Indomaret are now reopening one by one. No restrictions on operating hours.  

“Thank God, they’re being reopened gradually,” said AMRT Director Solihin on Friday (May 22, 2026).

Convenient, right? Shut them down in the name of “protecting traditional markets,” then quietly reopen without much explanation.

The Central Lombok government had previously halted operations at 18 Alfamart and 7 Indomaret stores. The official reason: they were less than 1 km from traditional markets, violating zoning rules on distance. But on the ground, it looked more like a sudden crackdown. Videos of the closures went viral, hundreds of employees panicked, and workers hit the streets in front of the Regent’s Office on May 20.

Field coordinator M Zainudin called the protest “desperation and the workers’ last hope.” Hundreds of people were suddenly at risk of losing their jobs over a 1 km distance rule that was suddenly enforced.

What’s weirder is that the call to “stop opening stores in villages” isn’t even an official regulation. Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono did mention it in a discussion forum: let the Red and White Village Cooperatives dominate village retail. The reason? To keep profits circulating locally instead of flowing to shareholders in big cities.

AMRT’s Solihin responded calmly.  

“If there’s actually a regulation, of course we won’t violate it. A regulation, right?” he told Katadata.

Polite words, but the message is sharp: if it’s just a suggestion, we’ll keep expanding. And that’s exactly what AMRT says it will do—as long as there’s no official ban and the local government allows it.

So here’s the story: the local government used zoning rules to shut stores down, workers protested, and now the stores are slowly reopening. No new rules, no policy revision. Just public pressure forcing a U-turn.

The question is: was this really about protecting cooperatives and traditional markets, or just a way for local officials to flex their authority?  

If the goal was to protect the Village Cooperatives, why not make it an official rule from the start? Why wait until employees protest and the media kicks up a fuss before “softening” the stance?

For now, the government still looks like it’s playing tug-of-war with the rural retail map. On one side, they tell modern retailers to back off. On the other, they won’t put it into law. The result? Investors are confused, employees become collateral damage, and ordinary people who just want a nearby place to shop get caught in the crossfire.

Maybe what’s needed isn’t just suggestions in a discussion forum, but the guts to make clear regulations. So we don’t get stuck in another cycle of “close-open” drama that leaves everyone asking: are they really protecting traditional markets, or just protecting the egos of local officials?