'City should not be discriminative'
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A councillor of City Council Commission E for social welfare urged the city administration to allow all entertainment centers to operate during Ramadhan fasting month.
Councillor Lambertus Gainadara of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) stated on Wednesday that more than one million people depend on the business for their livelihood.
"The centers support more than one million people. The administration should take that into account," he said.
The councillor supported the Entertainment Centers Owners Association' secretary, Adrian Maelite, who demanded that all of entertainment centers be allowed to operate during the fasting month.
He said that the city administration's policy of only allowing certain entertainment centers to remain open was discriminatory.
"It's discriminatory if certain centers are not allowed to open while the others located in star-rated hotels are allowed," Adrian, who is also the manager of Parahyangan club on Jl. Blora Central Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.
The city administration decided on Tuesday to apply a decree similar to the gubernatorial decree issued last year that banned the operation of discotheques, massage parlors, pin ball parlors and saunas during the fasting month.
The city has some 2,887 entertainment centers, including 251 cinemas, 200 billiard halls, 1,228 bars and restaurants, 144 discotheques, 193 hotels, 12 night clubs, 35 cafes, 11 saunas, 263 Karaoke halls, 221 massage parlors, 20 "barber shops" and 20 amusement centers.
Separately, Jakarta Tourism Agency chief Robert Silalahi said the ban was based on the assumption that the places were linked with drugs, prostitution and gambling.
"While entertainment centers in star-rated hotels are allowed since they are part of the hotels' facilities," Robert said on Wednesday.
He said the city administration would be more moderate in applying the decree since it predicted certain militant groups would not raise strong rejections to the operation of entertainment centers as had happened in past years.
He said Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso would sign the decree on permits for entertainment centers during Ramadhan which would begin next month.
Meanwhile, Adrian disagreed that the ban was related to the assumption that the centers were used for drugs, gambling and prostitution.
"If they found drugs in the discotheques, they could close the discotheques without waiting for the fasting month since it already violates regulation," said Adrian.
He said prostitution and gambling also could not be used as a reason since the practices could occur elsewhere although the centers were closed.
He said the association also demanded that the administration allow the centers to remain open until 2 a.m. "What's the different between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m.?"
According to the decree, the centers are allowed to operate between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. The centers usually operate until 2 a.m. on Monday to Friday and until 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Adrian said his association would stage a rally if their demands were not met by the city administration.
"We will come to City Hall, but maybe the gathering will not as big as the previous rally," he said.
Thousands of people representing the centers staged a rally in front of City Hall on Monday demanding that the administration allow them to operate during Ramadhan.
The association earlier also demanded that the administration disband the militant Islam Defenders Front (FPI) which had vandalized the centers on several occasions in the past. Eight members of FPI are currently being detained for destroying several entertainment centers in West Jakarta two weeks ago. Its chairman Al-Habib Rizieq Shihab has been named a suspect in the case.