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)