Nightspots may operate during Ramadhan: Governor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday that
\nentertainment nightspots would be allowed to operate during the
\nMuslim fasting month of Ramadhan if they had licenses to run
\ntheir businesses.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta is a metropolis and the country's capital city. I
\nhave to accommodate the interests of people from different walks
\nof life,\" he told reporters after addressing a ceremony
\ncommemorating World AIDS day at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM)
\narts center.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso was commenting on threats made by some city residents
\nthat they would close down Jakarta's nightspots by force if they
\ncontinued to operate during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"The residents can't force their will because the city
\nadministration and legal institutions will deal with this
\nmatter,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
\"The residents can't take any action as long as the nightspots
\nhave permits.\"<\/p>\n
He said the city administration had issued a decree ordering
\nall nightspots to close on the day before and the first day of
\nRamadhan; on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; and the two days
\nand the day after the Idul Fitri post-fasting celebrations.<\/p>\n
\"On other days, normal opening hours will apply,\" he said.<\/p>\n
AIDS<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso also warned his audience at the ceremony of the
\ndangers of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus\/Acquired Immune
\nDeficiency Syndrome (HIV\/AIDS).<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta has the highest number of HIV\/AIDS cases in
\nIndonesia. Up until last October there were 291 cases reported
\nhere,\" he said, adding that there were also unreported cases.<\/p>\n
\"The largest group in society infected by HIV\/AIDS are young
\npeople -- approximately 80 percent,\" Sutiyoso said. He also
\nwarned of the possibility of heterosexual infection, including
\nwomen and babies.<\/p>\n
The governor warned AIDS could be spread through drug use.<\/p>\n
\"If people continue to share hypodermic needles for injecting
\ndrugs then HIV\/AIDS cases have the potential to double,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said the city administration had established a
\ncommission consisting of members of various private institutions,
\nincluding non-governmental organizations, to examine AIDS\/HIV.<\/p>\n
Separately, Sutiyoso said school authorities should be more
\nactive in establishing a drug-free environment in their schools.<\/p>\n
\"Teachers have not been doing enough to prevent drug dealing
\nat schools. Schools should have antidrug posts to monitor any
\ndrug transactions within their environment,\" he said later,
\naddressing a seminar on educational decentralization at City
\nHall.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso was referring to the increasingly common presence of
\nantidrug posts in residential areas as city residents pledged to
\nfight drug dealers.<\/p>\n
However he reminded the residents not to take the law into
\ntheir own hands.<\/p>\n
\"Residents should inform the police about the whereabouts of
\ndrug dealers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"If the police do not respond to the information, only then
\ncan we blame them,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
Resignation<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a 20-member delegation from the Jakarta Pro-Reform
\nSociety (MPR-Jakarta) staged a protest in front of the City
\nCouncil building on Monday, demanding the governor resign from
\nhis post.<\/p>\n
\"Governor Sutiyoso was allegedly involved in a series of human
\nrights violations, making it inappropriate for him to hold the
\ngubernatorial post,\" the group's chairman Ridwan Saidi said.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso was also accused of being involved in the attack on
\nthe former Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) headquarters on
\nJuly 27, 1996, when he was the commander of the city military
\ncommand.<\/p>\n
\"I saw myself he (Sutiyoso) was there and leading the mob
\nattacking the office,\" Agus Siswanto, who claimed to have
\nwitnessed the incident, said.<\/p>\n
The delegation was received by Council Speaker Edy Waluyo.<\/p>\n
Edy said the council couldn't take any position before a court
\ndeclared Sutiyoso guilty of being involved in the attack.<\/p>\n
\"The council can't decide prior to a court. It's not up to the
\ncouncil to decide whether he is guilty or not,\" he said. (05)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nightspots-may-operate-during-ramadhan-governor-1447893297",
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