Closing Ancol is a foolish idea, say Politicians

Closing Ancol is a foolish idea, say Politicians

JAKARTA (JP): Politicians, responding to a Golkar member's
suggestion, said yesterday that closing the Ancol Dreamland Park
would not help solve the growing drug problem.

Ais Anantama Said, Golkar central board head of the Art and
Culture Department asked Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja
Tuesday to close the prestigious recreation park because it had
become a haven for drug traffickers and users.

But Tadjus Sobirin, the head of the area's Golkar faction for
Jakarta area, lambasted the suggestion yesterday, saying it was
an absurd.

"Everyone is free to make a suggestion that could bring a
solution to the abuse of the designer drug Ecstasy, but this
particular suggestion of closing Ancol is big nonsense," Tajus
said.

Surjadi supported Tadjus' statement and said the city would
never shut down the recreation park because of such silly
allegations.

"The park has been visited by an average 10 million people
every year. How could we close the whole recreation facility just
because of offenses by a small bunch of drug addicts?" Surjadi
asked.

The president of Ancol's manager PT Pembangunan Jaya, Hanafi
Lauw, said that there were no grounds to close the site. "Which
part of the site do we have to close? That's just not right."

Objecting to Ais's allegation that PT Pembangunan Jaya never
heeded officials' warning that Ancol had become a haven for
prostitutes and drug addicts, Hanafi said: "We always support
police operations on our property and we will continue to do so
in a bid to reduce tripping on the site."

Councilors from different factions joined the chorus in
rejecting Ais' suggestion.

The chairman of Indonesian Democratic Party faction, Lukman
Mokoginta said it was a bad idea.

"Closing the park will not stop people from using drugs as
they will soon find other places. The best solution is to step up
preventive measures and impose stricter punishment on drugs users
and traffickers, Lukman said.

The deputy head of Commission E for public welfare, the United
Development Party's Ronggo Sutrisno Taher, said he opposed the
idea of closing the entire Ancol recreation site.

"If we have to, just close the particular area where tripping
activities usually occur, not the entire Ancol Dreamland Park,"
he said.

Ancol Dreamland Park, set up in 1967 on 552-hectares, offers a
large variety of attractions and amusement centers for everyone.
To local people Ancol is like Disneyland to the Americans.

Park manager PT Pembangunan Jaya owns 20 percent of the park
while the City Administration owns 80 percent. The City
Administration owns 40 percent of PT Pembangunan Jaya. (04)