No place for gambling here, says Sutiyoso
No place for gambling here, says Sutiyoso
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso reaffirmed on Monday his
administration would not legalize gambling in the capital and
vowed to continue raids against such activities.
"The city administration will be consistently tough on
gambling, as well as on prostitution," he said in a prepared
statement during a plenary meeting with city councillors.
He said the Jakarta administration "has never issued any
licenses for gambling".
"Religion and our laws forbid gambling. Besides, it ruins the
mentality and morals of residents," he said.
The governor also denied his administration had issued a
license for a gambling operation in Pulau Seribu (Thousand
Islands), off the Jakarta Bay.
"The information is incorrect because the city administration
has never legalized gambling there," he said, adding that city
officials had closed 34 gambling dens since last October.
He, however, did say several businesspeople had suggested he
allow the establishment of a gambling enclave on one of the
islands in Pulau Seribu, similar to what the Malaysian government
did in Genting Highland.
"Gambling is a very sensitive matter and forbidden. It has a
large negative impact. Therefore, the city administration did not
pay any attention to the proposals," said Sutiyoso.
However, the governor announced in November a proposal to
establish an official gambling den on Panjang island, one of the
islands in Pulau Seribu. The proposal sparked controversy in the
city, including among city councillors.
It was reported that the city administration had built a
runway on the 16-hectare island to enable small aircraft to land.
However, city officials claimed the runway was meant to
support tourist resorts on nearby islands.
Many people have alleged that several islands in Pulau Seribu
have been home to gambling operations. And according to other
reports, several yachts sailing off the islands were operated as
floating casinos.
In his speech, Sutiyoso also said he would never legalize
prostitution in the city.
"Prostitution is a universal problem in large cities,
including Jakarta. It's a social fact which has been around since
the dawn of civilization, so it takes time to eradicate the
problem," he said.
The city administration closed the Kramat Tunggak red-light
district last December after some 30 years of operation. Since
the closure, the city has witnessed an increasing number of
prostitutes on the streets of the capital.
There have also been reports of an increase in the number of
illegal houses of prostitution following the closure of Kramat
Tunggak, which was the country's largest red-light district.
"The city administration will intensify operations to net and
rehabilitate prostitutes working on the streets," the governor
said.
The plenary meeting was held to discuss the 2000 draft city
budget, and the governor answered councillors' questions about
the budget.
When asked about the Rp 82.5 billion allocated to the City
Health Agency, the governor said that a portion of the money
would be used by the agency to construct carts to collect
garbage.
The councillors are scheduled to discuss Sutiyoso's answers to
their budget questions during a meeting on Tuesday at Cipayung
resort in Puncak, West Java. (nvn)