Entertainment centers in West Java to close on religious holidays<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
Following a month-long polemic between the owners of
\nentertainment venues and local Muslim organizations, the West
\nJava provincial legislative council passed a bill on the closure
\nof entertainment centers, restaurants and nightspots during
\ncertain religious events into a bylaw that came into effect as of
\nNov. 20.<\/p>\n
The bylaw regulates that all kinds of entertainment centers,
\nrestaurants and nightspots are to close every year during the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan (Muslim), Christmas (Christians),
\nEnlightenment Day (Hinduism) and Waisak Day (Buddhism).<\/p>\n
The bylaw was endorsed in the legislature's plenary session
\nhere on Tuesday which was also attended by many Muslim students
\nand workers of entertainment venues in the city.<\/p>\n
Muslim students and workers of several entertainment venues
\nhave separately demonstrated several times outside the
\nlegislative council to relate their conflicting aspirations.<\/p>\n
Muslim students have demanded that the legislature and the
\nprovincial administration close all entertainment venues during
\nthe fasting month while the workers have protested the move,
\nsaying it would put them out of work temporarily.<\/p>\n
Budiana Kosasih, chairman of the legislature's special
\ncommittee which deliberated the bill, hailed the bylaw, saying it
\ngives fair treatment to all religious communities in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
\"The bylaw gives equal treatment and opportunities for
\nreligious communities to uphold their own faiths in line with
\ntheir religious teaching,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The workers, mostly employed at billiard halls, protested the
\nbylaw, saying billiard halls should be allowed to continue
\noperation during the fasting month because billiards was a sport.<\/p>\n
\"We are not prostitutes, and billiard halls are not parlors,\"
\nsaid one women worker.<\/p>\n
Budiana admitted that the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle Party (PDI Perjuangan) faction had objected to the
\nclosure of entertainment venues during the fasting month because
\nit would cause massive, temporary lay-offs.<\/p>\n
Herry May Oloan, a member of the PDI Perjuangan faction, said
\nhis faction had grudgingly accepted the bylaw's endorsement as it
\ngained a majority of legislators' approval.<\/p>\n
Gugum Gumbira, chief of the city administration's fee
\ncollection unit, said the one-month closure of restaurants and
\nentertainment centers and nightspots during the fasting month
\nwould not overly affect the city administration's income because
\nmany entertainment centers had not paid their taxes.<\/p>\n
\"With the bylaw, the city administration is expected to lose
\nonly around Rp 600 million in taxes and levies from the
\nentertainment sector,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/entertainment-centers-in-west-java-to-close-on-religious-holidays-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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