Clubbers throw support behind antidrug drive
Clubbers throw support behind antidrug drive
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A thick haze of cigarette smoke hung over the room as partiers
crowded onto the dance floor, moving to the deafening house music
being played by the disc jockey.
It seemed like just another Friday night at Millenium
discotheque on Jl. Gajah Mada in West Jakarta. Except something
different was going on, as evidenced by the anti-drug signs
posted around the room and the plainclothes police officers
checking everyone entering the club.
"We want to introduce you to having fun here without taking
drugs. So, enjoy the party," Indra Bekti, a host, shouted to the
crowd.
The DJs then took over, pumping out house music to get the
crowd moving.
As the waitresses delivered drink orders, Miss Indonesia
contestants visited tables to hand out anti-drug pins to guests.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani, Jakarta Tourism
Agency head Haryanto Bajuri, Miss Indonesia Nadine Chandrawinata
and several celebrities were also on hand to enjoy the "Party
Without Drugs" campaign.
Several youth groups, including the Anti-Drug Youth Group,
whose members all excel in music, sports or academics, were also
invited to the party to show the guests what they could achieve
if they stayed away from drugs.
The party reached its climax when several performers took to
the stage to sing and dance, all the while delivering an anti-
drug message.
The event marked the beginning of a new anti-drug campaign by
the Jakarta Police that will move away from the raids that
nightspots owners said were killing their businesses.
"We know that drug dealers use nightspots to sell their
merchandise. Partygoers are potentials drug users. We will
continue to monitor all nightclubs in Jakarta," the head of the
Jakarta Police's drug unit, Sr. Comr. Carlo Brix Tewu, told The
Jakarta Post.
Although doubts remain about the police's commitment to the
campaign, several of the guests at Millenium welcomed the
effort.
"We just want to have fun here. We know that several of our
friends use drugs, but not all of us. We will prove that we are
drug-free. However, we hope the drive will not just disappear
after a month or two," Akian, a resident of Kota, West Jakarta,
told the Post.
A guest from South Jakarta who asked not to be named expressed
similar support and doubt.
"We want to know how far the police will go. We want to
cooperate. The question is whether the campaign is just to boost
the police's image or if it is just another business for them,"
he said.
The police are scheduled to hold "Party Without Drugs" events
at Embassy and Dragon Fly in Central Jakarta, Hai-Lai in North
Jakarta, Athena in West Jakarta and Blowfish in South Jakarta.