Take action on deviant officials: Councilor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Strong action should be taken against officials
\nwho abuse their power in granting permits to establishments in
\nKemang and other residential areas, a councilor said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The council's deputy spokesman, Ismunandar, said that action
\nshould not only be taken against building owners.<\/p>\n
On Thursday five establishments -- the Soto Kudus Kemang
\nrestaurant, the Jaya furniture show room, J & J rattan furniture
\nstore, Iams Eukanuba dog food store, and the Jawa Tua antique
\nfurniture show room -- were closed down by the South Jakarta
\nmayoralty.<\/p>\n
Owners were given one week before the buildings had to be used
\nin accordance with their housing permits.<\/p>\n
Owner claimed that they had not been notified beforehand, in
\ncontradiction with mayor Pardjoko's claim.<\/p>\n
Ismunandar said that action against officials was necessary
\n\"to avoid the opinion that the public was always to blame in
\ncases of the abuse of permits.\"<\/p>\n
He urged the municipality to announce the expiry of building
\npermits and identify those who had violated permits.<\/p>\n
\"These efforts are necessary to calm down other building
\nowners, who fear that their buildings will be closed by the
\nauthorities,\" Ismunandar said.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, not one cafe had been shut down. Mayoralty
\nofficials said that this was because they had only checked 27 out
\nof an estimated 123 non-residential buildings in Kemang.<\/p>\n
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja admitted earlier that several cafes
\nand restaurants in the Kemang area had operated with housing
\npermits because of irresponsible city officials.<\/p>\n
Yesterday he issued a reassurance that existing establishments
\nwith temporary housing permits would be allowed to operate until
\ntheir permits expired.<\/p>\n
An establishment owner, Jacobus Tirta, of the J & J rattan
\nfurniture gallery, which was formerly a cafe, demanded the city
\nbe fair in it's policies.<\/p>\n
He admitted that he did not have proper permits but feared
\nthat well connected establishments would be left alone.<\/p>\n
\"All establishments, without legal permits, should be closed
\ndown regardless of who owns the establishment,\" he said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Another owner said that a nearby cafe, which was often
\nfrequented by celebrities, also lacked proper permits but had not
\nbeen shut down. Officials had claimed they had not yet checked
\nthese cafes.<\/p>\n
Uce Hamzah, the owner of Soto Kudus Kemang said that the
\nprocedures to obtain permits were complicated.<\/p>\n
\"But when it comes to closures, why weren't we notice? What
\nkind of municipality do we have?\" she said, adding that her
\nbusiness had been started only six months ago.<\/p>\n
The owners said that they supported the plan as long as it was
\nboth consistent and fair.<\/p>\n
Besides a written notice, D.J Siboro, the mayoralty's
\nspokesperson, said that business owners had been repeatedly told
\nof the plan via officials with microphones driving through
\nKemang.<\/p>\n
The mayoralty's data so far shows that other establishments:
\nthe Radjasa Wahana Wiratama and Bibet Warung restaurants posessed
\nhousing permits, while Mitra Hadi Prana gallery had a
\nregistration card from the city's trade and industrial office.
\n(ste\/11)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/take-action-on-deviant-officials-councilor-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}