Kemang area

Kemang area

Recently, my wife and I ate at one of the Kemang restaurants
which is not supposed to be open anymore according to the city
administration which had recently "decorated" such businesses
with wooden red crossbars to close them down.

Apart from costing 3,000 to 4,000 people their jobs in times
as difficult as these, the closing down of such businesses also
would have effectively converted Kemang into a ghost town with a
lot of empty buildings with "for rent" signs all over the place.
No one in their right mind would have wanted to live in one of
these reconverted houses along one of the busiest and most
polluted streets the city has to offer.

The proprietor of the restaurant which was not supposed to be
there told us that the city government had decreed in favor of
the restaurants, shops and other businesses in the area. He added
that it was a decision in favor of humanity -- a rare thing these
days.

Driving along Jl. Kemang Raya, you can already see various
businesses where the red bars have disappeared or have been
lifted at least. So if the city administration really "has seen
the light" this time, I would like to congratulate them on a wise
decision that, I believe, is favorable to the majority of the
people living and working in the area.

ROLAND WOEHRLE

Jakarta