Bars, cafes may open during Ramadhan

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Entertainment centers are allowed to operate during the fasting month of Ramadhan, but operators were cautious on Saturday amid fear of possible raids from hard-line groups.

Deputy governor for administrative affairs Abdul Kahfi said on Friday that the centers were allowed to open from the end of Tarawih evening prayer (about 8:30 p.m.) until the Sahur predawn meal (about 3 a.m.).

"It's unfair if we urge them to close for the whole month. How can their workers earn a living?" Kahfi told reporters at City Hall, revealing the results of a meeting he held with operators of entertainment centers and religious leaders on Thursday.

But he added that those centers should not operate on the first day of Ramadhan or the 17th day of the month, which is commemorated as Nuzulul Qur'an (The Revelation of Koran). They should also be closed on the first and second days of Idul Fitri, which would fall on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17.

There are over 1,200 places categorized as entertainment centers in the city that would be subject to the regulation on opening hours during Ramadhan, which is similar to last year's rule. They include gaming centers, movie theaters, golf courses, discotheques, karaoke houses, nightclubs, saunas, barbershops and places offering live music.

Those located in hotels, however, are not included in the list. Restaurants are also excluded.

Meanwhile, operators of entertainment centers were cautious over people's reactions.

"We have not yet decided whether we will open or not during Ramadhan because we still have to consider people's reactions," a member of staff at Tanamur discotheque, Central Jakarta, who requested anonymity, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

He referred to possible raids by hard-line groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front, who attacked a number of cafes here last year.

He urged the administration to deploy public order officers and cooperate with police to secure the amusement centers that open during the fasting month.

Separately, a member of staff at Fashion Cafe, Evina, said the cafe would remain open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the fasting month.

"We will open as usual as we also serve non-Muslims. We have a live band playing during that month," Evina told the Post.

On Friday, some 50 members of the Justice Youth Movement, a youth wing of the Justice Party, staged a protest in front of City Hall on Friday, demanding the closure of amusement centers during Ramadhan. They threatened to forcibly close the centers if they were allowed to open during the month of fasting.