I need no ultimatum over gambling dens: Sutiyoso
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso says he deplores the remarks made by city councilors who demanded his resignation unless he closed down all gambling dens in the capital.
According to the governor, he had already ordered related subordinates to shut down all existing gambling parlors here shortly after the Nov. 22 Ketapang incident erupted.
"Such an ultimatum is not needed as I can close the spots in hours," he announced on Wednesday.
On the previous day, councilors -- in response to visiting student protesters -- vowed to force Sutiyoso, an active three- star military general, to leave his post unless he could close down all gambling dens immediately.
The councilors also threatened to go on strike and join the student protest should Sutiyoso fail to respond properly.
The councilors, who usually do not go against the city administration, also agreed with the group of 100 student protesters that the presence of gambling parlors in the city had been the cause of many clashes between residents and parlors' civilian guards.
They cited last Sunday's violent clash between residents of Ketapang and guards of the local amusement center Ketapang 11, which was also a gambling den, as one example. The incident in West Jakarta claimed at least 14 lives and caused material losses in the billions of rupiah.
Sutiyoso on Wednesday reminded the councilors and the public that eliminating gambling from Jakarta was not a simple matter.
"In a big city like Jakarta, it's not easy to detect violations at such places," the governor said.
"You must already know of the presence of certain groups that always protect such places (from raids conducted by officials)," he added.
Sutiyoso did not name the groups.
Asked whether he would fire any subordinates found guilty of playing significant roles in any of the gambling dens, he insisted that such tough action was not always required within his administration.
"There are many kinds of punishment for those who commit violations. Thus, firing staff is not always necessary," he said.
But Sutiyoso guaranteed that Jakartans would soon see the closure of a number of gambling parlors because his top officials were already on their way to seal all the known dens in the capital.
Like in many other big cities across the country, where gambling is illegal, gambling parlors in Jakarta are invisible to those not in the know.
Similar to prostitution, most of the dens are camouflaged within buildings housing amusement centers, discotheques and other entertainment spots.
According to the head of the city's Public Order Office, Hadi Utomo, Jakarta is home to 3,793 spots.
"But today only 60 percent of the number can survive and run their business during the prolonged economic hardship," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Hadi added that his office was currently observing at least 15 entertainment spots believed to have misused their business permits.
Last month, for instance, 10 entertainment spots were closed by his office for similar violations.
"Most of the spots do not even have the legal permits required. Others even used advanced technology to hide their illegal businesses, such as gambling and prostitution," Hadi said.
"The operators, for example, can close the doors of a gambling room in just a matter of seconds by a pressing button on a portable remote control the size of a cellular phone," the official said. (ind/ylt)