Fasting vs. clubbing: The struggle continues<\/p>\n
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan starts on Oct. 4 this
\nyear. Food, drink and the making of beasts with two backs are all
\nstrictly forbidden during the hours of daylight. Ramadhan is
\ntraditionally a time of peaceful contemplation and spiritual
\ncommunion, and I'm sure you'd agree that Indonesia's teeming,
\nmigraine-inducing capital could certainly do with a healthy dose
\nof both of these.<\/p>\n
Muslims should also refrain from becoming angry during the
\nperiod and perhaps SBY's imminent Ramadhan fuel price hike can be
\nseen in this context as either deviously Machiavellian or
\npolitically shrewd, depending on your point of view. The
\nrealities of Ramadhan don't always live up to the peaceful,
\ntheological idealism of the holy month however.<\/p>\n
For a start, despite Ramadhan being primarily manifested
\nthrough the act of fasting, more food is consumed during the
\nmonth, pound for pound, than at any other time of year. When
\nIndonesians break that fast between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., they
\nreally enjoy a good blowout, and why not. Also, the shops during
\na Ramadhan weekend can be absolute murder as huge crowds of
\nshoppers splash out on fancy clothes, goods and food in
\npreparation for Idul Fitri. It's a consumer phenomenon not
\ndissimilar to the run-up to Christmas in the West.<\/p>\n
In recent years however, one unpleasant Ramadhan leitmotif has
\nat least been nipped in the bud. This is namely the hordes of
\nunemployed young guys who don't have to work and so can sleep
\nthrough the fasting hours and let off veritable ammunition dumps
\nof fireworks all night, thus keeping everyone awake. Thank God
\nthat's over.<\/p>\n
The most serious threat to the peace of Jakarta's Ramadhan in
\nrecent years has been the war waged over the city's nightlife.
\nThe City Council's decrees regarding Ramadhan opening hours for
\nnightspots have been hazy, ambiguous and contradictory and the
\nenforcement of them by the police very sporadic; perhaps in an
\nattempt to leave enough maneuvering room to please everyone.<\/p>\n
All this has led to fundamentalist groups steaming around
\ntown, vigilante style, smashing up bars that dare to open. On the
\nfirst day of Ramadhan last year, a day on which everything has to
\nclose, some friends and I found ourselves in the only bar brave
\nenough to open on the city's backpacker strip, Jl. Jaksa.<\/p>\n
We were toasting our good fortune at having avoided the
\nclosures when who should burst in? No, not a bunch of FPI goons,
\nbut a television camera crew, checking to see which mischievous
\nplaces were evading the law. I guess I'd rather be filmed than
\nbeaten up, however when they demanded to know why we were
\nillegally drinking in a bar on the first day of Ramadhan, we had
\nto tell them that the bar had been open and so we had come in,
\nand also kindly suggested that they take the matter up with
\neither the bar's owner or the police.<\/p>\n
After the first day of Ramadhan, bars and clubs are usually
\nallowed to open at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., an hour or so after evening
\nprayers, and must also close earlier than usual. Bars that also
\nserve food can continue to trade under their restaurant licenses,
\nsometimes with the added proviso that they don't serve alcohol.<\/p>\n
In previous years, this has led to hilarious, American
\nProhibition-type scenes of barflies sitting at dining tables
\ndrinking suspiciously beer-colored coffee from cups and saucers.
\nAll that was missing was a honky-tonk pianist in the corner.<\/p>\n
This year, Jakarta's police chief has decreed that all bars,
\ndiscos, saunas, massage parlors and amusement centers must close
\nfor the entire month, but that discos located in star-rated
\nhotels are allowed to function normally, a decision that seems to
\ndefy all logic until one realizes that some very powerful
\nbusinessmen own a large number of these hotel discos.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the two discos in the huge Hotel Borobudur,
\njust east of Monas, have cleaned up by packing in revelers unable
\nto gain access to their usual haunts. Non-hotel bars may open
\nsporadically this month but will be risking the wrath of both the
\npolice and the fundamentalists, who have been particularly active
\nrecently persecuting West Java's Christian population.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless it is apparently a fact that some 50,000
\nemployees of the city's nightlife industry will struggle to make
\nends meet during the month of Ramadhan, a month in which workers
\nin other professions are getting double salaries.<\/p>\n
Perhaps though, we non-Muslims should just go with the flow
\nduring Ramadhan and stay at home relaxing and recharging the
\nbatteries. After all, we are afforded a pretty unrestricted ride
\nthrough the city's crazy nightlife during the other 11 months of
\nthe year. Everybody needs a break sometimes.<\/p>\n
Simon Pitchforth<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fasting-vs-clubbing-the-struggle-continues-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }