Analyst Reveals Loopholes in Nightclub Management, Raising Concerns Over Potential Re-operation After Crackdowns

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com – Public Policy analyst from Trisakti University, Trubus Rahadiansyah, has revealed a potential loophole in the management of nightclubs, namely the use of a scheme to change the company name or “ganti nama PT”, which is considered to allow businesses to re-operate even if they have been previously sanctioned.

According to him, this practice is at risk of occurring if enforcement only targets operational permits without tracing the managers or actual owners behind the nightclub business.

“And they shouldn’t outsmart the system by changing the company name, even though the people are still the same. Sometimes it’s just a ‘change of clothes’, but the perpetrators are still the same in the nightclub,” said Trubus to Kompas.com via telephone, Friday (15/5/2026).

“If they just change clothes, will they operate again, and will a permit be issued again? That’s the problem, so who are these people, and what are their connections?” he said.

Trubus emphasized the importance of local governments, especially the Department of Tourism and Creative Economy (Disparekraf) of DKI Jakarta, to thoroughly investigate the ownership structure of nightclub businesses from the beginning of the licensing process.

According to him, the actual company ownership data can be traced so that there is no reason for weak supervision of the same business actors.

“That’s why Disparekraf must investigate thoroughly, don’t just turn a blind eye. If that happens, it will be problematic. In fact, from the beginning, it is already known who owns this company, and it can be checked,” he said.

“It must be fair so that it is not discriminatory,” he said.

Previously, supervision of nightclubs in Jakarta was again in the spotlight after the raid on two nightclubs in West Jakarta, namely B-Fashion and The Seven, which were allegedly involved in drug trafficking.

This incident has again raised public attention to the effectiveness of local government supervision in preventing repeated violations in the nightlife sector.

One of the raids was carried out at Karaoke B-Fashion, which is located in the Grogol Petamburan area, West Jakarta, regarding alleged drug transactions and abuse.

The Head of the Tourism Industry Section of the West Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Sub-department, Gun Gun Mujiantara, confirmed the raid.