Menteng offices will be closed by 1997: Mayor

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta Mayor Abdul Kahfi has vowed to close down all offices in the Menteng residential area by the end of 1997.

Kahfi said yesterday his office was planning to return a total of 133 buildings in the area to their original functions as residences because Menteng is a pilot project for city's residential areas.

"Based on an intensive operation we have been conducting since 1992, it was discovered that a total of 380 buildings were used as offices," he said, adding that now, only 133 buildings are still being used for that purpose.

Kahfi said his office had failed to close down all the offices by the end of 1995 as planned because of various factors, but he stressed he would not tolerate them this time.

One of the factors is the difficulty in finding a new location which will not cause the owners of the offices to lose their customers, he said.

"They argued they would drastically lose their customers if they moved to another location and that they needed time to find the perfect location. We have given them ample time to move to other areas and they have signed written statements that they will move from the current location by the end of 1997," he said.

When asked about the fact that the owners lease their buildings because they cannot afford to pay the property taxes, Kahfi dismissed this as a poor excuse.

"You can lease the buildings as long as it is in line with the regulation. And remember, paying high taxes is a consequence you have to face for living in such a neighborhood," he said.

A similar policy is being implemented by the East and West Jakarta mayoralties because the mayors are also determined to continue closing down offices located in residential areas under their jurisdiction.

"This is not a new operation. We have been doing it for years. However, such action is time-consuming because we should check with the city planning board before closing down a house," East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono said.

The mayor recently closed down a house in Condet that was used by Megawati Soekarnoputri as the headquarters for her Indonesian Democratic Party executive board.

The deposed chief of the minority political party set up a headquarters in the area following the forced takeover of her original headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta by supporters of Soerjadi, the government-sanctioned chairman of the party, last July in a move that sparked massive riots.

The East Jakarta mayoralty claimed there was no political motive involved in the closure of Megawati's office in Condet. He said it was closed down simply because it was in line with the city regulation that bans anyone from opening offices in residential areas.

The city administration supported the mayor's action, saying it was planning to close down offices in residential areas in all parts of the city.

Meanwhile, West Jakarta Mayor Sutardjianto said he has ordered all subdistrict chiefs in the mayoralty not to easily issue any recommendations.

"I have ordered them to be careful and to check before giving any recommendations to people who intend to move to their area because it might be misused," he said.

He said the recommendation was needed to get business permits from the Jakarta offices of the ministries of industry and trade. (yns)