Nightspots may operate during Ramadhan: Governor

Nightspots may operate during Ramadhan: Governor

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday that
entertainment nightspots would be allowed to operate during the
Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan if they had licenses to run
their businesses.

"Jakarta is a metropolis and the country's capital city. I
have to accommodate the interests of people from different walks
of life," he told reporters after addressing a ceremony
commemorating World AIDS day at the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM)
arts center.

Sutiyoso was commenting on threats made by some city residents
that they would close down Jakarta's nightspots by force if they
continued to operate during Ramadhan.

"The residents can't force their will because the city
administration and legal institutions will deal with this
matter," Sutiyoso said.

"The residents can't take any action as long as the nightspots
have permits."

He said the city administration had issued a decree ordering
all nightspots to close on the day before and the first day of
Ramadhan; on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; and the two days
and the day after the Idul Fitri post-fasting celebrations.

"On other days, normal opening hours will apply," he said.

AIDS

Sutiyoso also warned his audience at the ceremony of the
dangers of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

"Jakarta has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in
Indonesia. Up until last October there were 291 cases reported
here," he said, adding that there were also unreported cases.

"The largest group in society infected by HIV/AIDS are young
people -- approximately 80 percent," Sutiyoso said. He also
warned of the possibility of heterosexual infection, including
women and babies.

The governor warned AIDS could be spread through drug use.

"If people continue to share hypodermic needles for injecting
drugs then HIV/AIDS cases have the potential to double," he said.

Sutiyoso said the city administration had established a
commission consisting of members of various private institutions,
including non-governmental organizations, to examine AIDS/HIV.

Separately, Sutiyoso said school authorities should be more
active in establishing a drug-free environment in their schools.

"Teachers have not been doing enough to prevent drug dealing
at schools. Schools should have antidrug posts to monitor any
drug transactions within their environment," he said later,
addressing a seminar on educational decentralization at City
Hall.

Sutiyoso was referring to the increasingly common presence of
antidrug posts in residential areas as city residents pledged to
fight drug dealers.

However he reminded the residents not to take the law into
their own hands.

"Residents should inform the police about the whereabouts of
drug dealers," he said.

"If the police do not respond to the information, only then
can we blame them," Sutiyoso said.

Resignation

Meanwhile, a 20-member delegation from the Jakarta Pro-Reform
Society (MPR-Jakarta) staged a protest in front of the City
Council building on Monday, demanding the governor resign from
his post.

"Governor Sutiyoso was allegedly involved in a series of human
rights violations, making it inappropriate for him to hold the
gubernatorial post," the group's chairman Ridwan Saidi said.

Sutiyoso was also accused of being involved in the attack on
the former Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) headquarters on
July 27, 1996, when he was the commander of the city military
command.

"I saw myself he (Sutiyoso) was there and leading the mob
attacking the office," Agus Siswanto, who claimed to have
witnessed the incident, said.

The delegation was received by Council Speaker Edy Waluyo.

Edy said the council couldn't take any position before a court
declared Sutiyoso guilty of being involved in the attack.

"The council can't decide prior to a court. It's not up to the
council to decide whether he is guilty or not," he said. (05)