Former governor recalls growths of the city

Former governor recalls growths of the city

The recent closure of the city's "rehabilitation" center for
prostitutes in Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, finally ended the
long-held controversies about the area. The Jakarta Post recently
talked to the capital's governor from 1966 to 1977, Ali Sadikin,
72, who initiated the site and other contentious policies.
Following are excerpts of the interview:

Question: You have kept on expressing disagreement about the
closure of the city's oldest red-light district Kramat Tunggak.
Why?

Answer: I have to answer this by giving a background of humanity.
Adam and Eve were created to civilize, based on morality. This is
a fact. Any religion prohibits any action against morality. But
human beings are not angels. We know that rape reports have
occurred for a long time, even in the Middle East. The first
thing people want to know when they go abroad is the whereabouts
of prostitution (centers). I visited Amsterdam, The Hague and
Hamburg, and saw well-organized prostitution sites there, but not
by the government.

Kramat Tunggak was organized by the government. So
politically, it was my responsibility. I hate seeing prostitutes
wandering around everywhere in Jakarta. I also learned that
Bangkok had successfully localized prostitutes. Then I adopted
that measure in Kramat Tunggak which was originally for the
rehabilitation (of the women). I chose Kramat Tunggak because it
was located in the middle of a swamp. I selected it by myself. It
was truly designated as a brothel complex near the seaport of
Tanjung Priok. No single inhabitant was there at that time. So,
if there is someone to be blamed, it's the local residents who
came after Kramat Tunggak operated. This is due to urbanization.
What are your other reasons?
A: It has been reported that there were some 1,600 prostitutes
(in Kramat Tunggak). But (in closing it down) have we thought
about the impact on related people seeking an income in the
district? The complex has been running for almost 30 years. There
could be up to 3,000 people, including kiosk owners, security
guards, pedicab and taxicab drivers and so on earning a living.

Just one old question: can prostitution be eliminated?
Indonesia has now become one of the poorest nations in the world.
Poverty will increase. We have to remember that no woman wants to
become a prostitute. Most of them came from poor families, they
needed the money to support their families. So the next question
is: do the ulema and city councilors ever think about this, how
will those poor families be supported? Can those who strongly
oppose prostitution provide better jobs? The government and House
of Representatives have never seriously held a hearing about
this.
It sounds like you defend prostitution.
Not really. This is about poverty. This about how to help poor
people -- relating to some 40 million unemployed people and half
of the nation's total population who live below the poverty line.
What are they -- the government, legislators, religious leaders,
public figures -- thinking about this? I think I'm entitled to a
medal to be dubbed as a governor of vice because I created Kramat
Tunggak.
Is localizing prostitution the best thing to do?
I would like to quote what sociologists have commented about this
matter. It's much better to centralize prostitution than to let
the prostitutes operate on the streets. It's much easier to
control them in terms of health. When they are scattered, how can
we control sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS?
But drugs and crimes would also flourish in such a complex.
No. When there's a solid collaboration with National Police or
the military, we can control everything.
Are you saying that there was a special arrangement with the
military to run Kramat Tunggak during your administration?
No. Not at all. Security was under control, no need for
exclusivity.
What would you say is the major cause of Kramat Tunggak's
closure?
Public persistence. The City Council also urged governor Sutiyoso
to close it down. It's a bit strange -- they urged the governor
long ago. But I don't know the real reason. It could have been
related to the drinking water project, but I don't want to talk
about it. I pity Sutiyoso.
Apart from prostitution, you also legalized gambling in the
capital to boost city revenue. Was there no other way?
I'll give the background of Jakarta and my initial assignment as
a governor ... of the capital. During Dutch rule, Jakarta or
Batavia as it was then known, was the center of government
affairs, not a hub for trading or business, which was centralized
in Surabaya (East Java). Batavia was designated to accommodate
only some 600,000 people. In 1966, when I was appointed governor,
the population was already at 3.4 million, with many social
problems, including poor social infrastructure for education,
markets, medicine, art and culture and so on. I had a very
serious social problem due to urbanization; (problems) were not
because of original Jakartans.

I had to be very clear about my vision and mission in
developing Jakarta and creating it as a commercial and business
center; a city of industry and service including tourism.
What did you do?
I set up the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).
I thought I had to invite investors. I also thought it was
necessary to create more job opportunities. I wanted Jakarta to
live around the clock. Therefore more people -- up to three times
more -- could have jobs. That was not enough. Indonesia had at
that time 26 provinces, Jakarta had to be able to represent this.
I created, for example, the Jakarta Art Council and the Ismail
Marzuki Arts Center (TIM). At that time, many leading artists
came to TIM. I think what I did was for the people.
How did you arrange that?
That's what's important. I needed money for the development. I
learned that the budget allocated for Jakarta was only Rp 66
million -- not billion -- for 3.4 million population in a poor
capital. Out of that figure, Rp 22 million was from taxation. I
also totally reorganized the government apparatus. The
municipality's income scheme for its personnel was upgraded to
abolish illegal levies. I intensified taxation and fees. We could
not obtain income from taxes if there was a poor system. I
refurbished the building and invited Muspida (Local Consultative
Council comprising civilian and military representatives) to
discuss how to develop Jakarta. (Ali Sadikin, popularly known as
Bang Ali, left a budget of some Rp 116 billion when he resigned
in 1977)
What else?
Since many things were greatly lacking to serve 3.4 million
residents, I had to provide rehabilitation and development.
Rehabilitation was necessary. For me, development is about
looking to the future. I felt I could not serve Jakartans who
only knew that it was the duty of the governor to develop
Jakarta, not the nation's president or ministers. So, I wanted to
be a good governor, not a stupid one. I learned that there were
illegal gambling activities in Jakarta. I was told that there
were some authorities backing and protecting the activities. A
staff member of mine who was an expert in legalization (issues)
and law told me that there was an ordonantie (regulation)
allowing a governor to legalize gambling. Then I called Muspida,
informing them that I would legalize gambling so that we could
impose taxation. I didn't ask permission from the City Council
and (then president) Soeharto. I only reported my plan.

This was to avoid the matter of them being held responsible.
It was my personal responsibility. The gambling sites were in
Chinatown in Kota, the Djakarta Theater (Central Jakarta) and
Ancol (North Jakarta). In a short period, city income from
gambling taxes became the largest, followed by vehicle taxes and
building and land taxes. With such assets, I could develop
Jakarta.
And the consequences?
Yes, I learned that the urbanization rate was surging. Once I
asked a businessman from Ujungpandang, (South Sulawesi), why he
had come to Jakarta. He told me that legalization schemes in
Jakarta were very clear and conducive, therefore services were
smooth.

I understood that gambling was prohibited by religion. That
was and is my problem. When the time comes, I will take the
responsibility. At that time many people complained and protested
my policy. I told them that a great deal of infrastructure,
including schools and roads, had been developed with the money
from gambling taxation. So to those who were against my policy, I
said, please never use the roads and take your children from the
(public) schools and never drink the water from city water
supplies. All that infrastructure was constructed with the money
from gambling.
Why did you act in such a controversial manner?
That was all for Jakarta's social welfare. I wanted to improve
human life here. There had to be action. We couldn't just pray. I
may be sinful in front of God, but not in front of humankind.
How did you learn about gambling?
First, I don't gamble. I learned about the concept from places
for gambling activities in Macau, Monaco, Las Vegas and Genting
(Malaysia). I understand that in Malaysia, which is a Muslim-
dominated nation, only expatriates and the Chinese community are
allowed to gamble, because gambling for the Chinese is to throw
away bad luck. I also had a list of Indonesians who gambled. I
allowed them to gamble in Jakarta to circumvent cash fleeing the
country.
Do you think gambling can be legalized again?
It depends on the governor. But now there's already a regulation
prohibiting gambling -- though I understand that there are
several places for gambling in Jakarta. A friend of mine recently
told me that one of the places is as big as ones in Macau.
Why does it seem that Indonesians are more interested in
something in disguise?
What we need is just legalization. But since there's a law (No.
7/1974 on gambling, stipulating that gambling is illegal and
those involved in it are punishable by law) so many people have
been nabbed. Experience proves that gamblers need official
casinos or other gambling places, except in places which they
know are backed by the military or police officers.
Why military and police officers?
Come on! This is organized. Those people don't want the
regulation to be abolished. That's the way they obtain an income.
There are sometimes raids, covered by the media, but that's only
a ploy. When I was governor, I invited Muspida (to my office). I
asked them how much money they wanted to build, say, a new
office, and said I would help them. They could not decline. I was
the one who held power in Jakarta at that time, not the military.
I know much more about people in Jakarta than some of the others.
What is your concept of good governance?
Being realistic and logic. This is another example: there was a
time when Soeharto urged government officials not to receive
packages as Idul Fitri greetings. I objected, saying that the
gifts were a real form of gratitude, which was much better than
giving a percentage or something else behind closed doors. Just
watch how the number of flower vendors in Cikini (Central
Jakarta) has now grown (in line with the season's greetings
business).

The government recently planned to terminate fuel subsidies.
People strongly oppose this; after that the House of
Representatives proposed to increase civil service salaries. They
do not think about how to obtain the money. They have to set
priorities.

How do you see the current situation in the capital's streets?
What I see makes me angry. I see indiscipline. The nation's
morality has decayed. Everybody thinks they are right. Drivers
zigzagging, pedestrians crossing the roads anywhere they want,
street vendors blocking the streets. People are reluctant to
respect others. They do not have the morality to not cause
problems for others.

Why has this happened?
The source of it all? It's politics. It's about state governance.
Due to a poor political system, we have been "downgrading". We
see that the military, the supreme court, and the attorney
general have become the instrument of power and money, not of the
nation ... Power is so powerful. How can we reach democracy
without proper legalization? We also see no serious action from
the government for human rights. Some members of the press have
also become instruments of power instead of democracy. The people
understand this and they do not care about others. They see that
everybody at the top level also does not care about many things.
So people question why they should be well-behaved while many
people at the top level have never been legally punished for
their wrongdoings.

Can we find a way out?
It would need a very long time to restore such a decayed
morality. One generation is not enough. The generation of 1945
and 1966 have become rotten, as well as the younger generations.
As one of the 1945 generation (which saw the first years of the
nation), I'm very embarrassed. But I know I succeeded as an
individual. The way out? I think (President Abdurrahman Wahid)
Gus Dur and (Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri) Mega must
have two programs. First, to anticipate future problems, and
second, resolving past problems. (I. Christianto)