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)