Saritem: A battleground of morals

Saritem: A battleground of morals

By Kafil Yamin

BANDUNG (JP): A proposal to change a flesh market into a
religious boarding school sounds absurd, but the local
administration, withering in the heat of a morality crusade, has
given it the green light.

"If I was allowed to propose a name, I would prefer Darul
Inabah," wrote a Bandung resident in the letters section of the
local Pikiran Rakyat daily recently.

Darul inabah, literally meaning a place to set out on the
right path, could become the new name of Saritem, a popular
prostitution complex in town.

The name is still under consideration by the Bandung Ulemas
Council.

The call to overhaul the red-light district was first made by
the Bandung Forum for Pesantren Communication, led by KH Imam
Sonhaji. He came up with the idea to transform the 79.9-hectare
area into a religious center, and the mayor gave a positive
response.

Many believe the mayor gave his nod mainly because he is
feeling the heat from the morality crusade.

Over the last five months, the West Java capital has been in
an uproar caused by "anti-immorality campaigns" initiated by
Muslim groups. They have raided stores looking to seize alcoholic
beverages and descended on nightspots in search of drugs.

The police have often been powerless to stop them.

As the movement gained steam, the local administration
announced its own plan to combat immorality and depravity. It
took aim at Saritem, the red-light district comparable to Dolly
in Surabaya or Jakarta's Kramat Tunggak, which was closed last
December.

But why a pesantren (boarding school) instead of, say, a mall
or office complex?

"If we changed it into a business center, a supermarket, that
would still give them (prostitutes) a chance to maintain their
present jobs," said Bandung Mayor Aa Tarmana.

"If it is a pesantren, at least they would have opportunity to
study the Koran."

Saritem is now a battleground in the war for morals.

A huge banner adorning its gate reads: "If sex workers come
back, then Muslims will go into action. If pimps stay, Muslims
will raid. Let's wage a jihad (holy war) until immorality
disappears."

The message comes from the Anti-Immorality Movement, which is
a coalition of a number of students of nearby Muslim boarding
schools.

It is a pointed warning against the former denizens of
Saritem, which was officially closed last Oct. 2.

Before the closure, Saritem had 430 sex workers working for 84
pimps. Today, 300 sex workers and 71 pimps remain and it is
business as usual.

Prostitutes and pimps say they are not out to provoke discord,
but merely want to earn enough to make ends meet.

"Where do they want us to go? We would be delighted to leave
if they could provide us with a better place and a better job,"
said a pimp in Saritem.

The city administration has allocated Rp 450 million
(US$62,500) to acquire the area. On Jan. 9, 2000, a team was set
up to begin the transformation of the area.

But those opposed to the plan are not taking the plan lying
down. They have reportedly harassed residents, telling them not
to sell their homes to the government, and have persuaded the
prostitutes to stay put.

Prostitutes finds themselves at the center of the tug-of-war
of morals and money.

"It's really frustrating," said one of the women. "The other
day several men from the district administration came here and
asked us to leave this place soon, or else we would be thrown in
jail. The very next day, several thugs came and told us to stay.
They said we would have problems if we left. We will not be safe
anywhere."

She sees the space narrowing in front of her. The morality
drive is growing in intensity, with stoning of buildings and
manhandling.

"I live in fear these days," she said.

She is only one of the sex workers who feel threatened and
confused. Even if they want to change their profession, it is
unlikely they can easily find a job, lacking marketable skills
and with companies still trapped in the economic crisis.

Critics blasted the mayor for not giving viable alternatives.

"There are mass layoffs at factories. Many companies have
collapsed. Businesses are doomed to bankruptcy. What will he (the
mayor) do about these unfortunates?" said Prof. KH Atjep Jazuli,
senior lecturer at the Bandung State Islamic Institute.

"Yes, Islam is against immorality. But it is against worse
evils. Islam carries not only commands and prohibitions, but also
solutions."

He criticized the public's tendency to take the law into their
own hands and the authorities' turning a blind eye to
vigilantism. "If we act like this in dealing with our problems,
what makes us any different from the past rulers?"

He scoffed at the mayor's assertion that the prostitutes would
study the Koran at the boarding school. Other students would pass
judgment on the women, he added.

"They will be rejected if they register to join the pesantren.
Even if they were accepted, they would be looked down on in
class."