Sutiyoso given demand over gambling dens
Sutiyoso given demand over gambling dens
JAKARTA (JP): In a rare move, city councilors on Tuesday
demanded Governor Sutiyoso's resignation unless he is able to
close down all of the gambling dens in the capital.
The councilors even threatened to go on strike, the council's
deputy speaker Ade Surapriatna said.
According to the councilors, the presence of the gaming
parlors, which are illegal in Indonesia, have been the cause of
many clashes between local residents and the parlors' civilian
guards.
They cited Sunday's violent clash between residents of
Ketapang and guards of the local amusement center, which was also
a gambling den, as an example of these clashes. The incident in
West Jakarta claimed at least 14 lives, and caused material
losses in the billions of rupiah.
The councilors made the ultimatum in response to the demand
made by some 100 students grouped in the Action Committee of
Concerned Students for the People for the immediate closure of
the cities gambling dens.
Councilor Ade told the students that the councilors would join
the students in their protest if Sutiyoso failed to give a proper
response within two weeks.
Deputy head of Commission E for Social Affairs, Afif Hamka,
pledged that his commission would force the city council to
immediately send the ultimatum to Governor Sutiyoso.
According to Afif, the absence of action by the city
administration "in these crucial moments" could prove the
students' accusation that many city officials have regularly
received bribes from the gambling operators.
"Why else would one of the students dare to claim that he can
prove that there is a public order official, for example, who
comes over to pick up upeti (a bribe to a high-ranking official)"
Afif said.
Afif said that he himself had gone to an entertainment spot in
the Kembangan district of West Jakarta, where one of the regulars
told him to come over on certain nights to watch cockfighting.
"That is gambling. The person clearly told me that no police
officer is ever present on those particular nights, because they
come the night before for their payment," Afif said.
Head of the Golkar faction Fatommy Asaari said that if the
governor did not soon take immediate action, bloody incidents
like what had happened in the Ketapang area on Sunday would soon
occur again.
"It's too risky to maintain the existence of gambling spots,
which have in fact caused many disturbances in neighboring
areas," he told the students.
Fatommy said that the council had repeatedly asked the
administration to take punitive against owners of the gambling
spots.
"But top officials of the city's Public Order office
considered it unnecessary to close them down," he said.
Fatommy asked Sutiyoso to replace any of his subordinates who
were not willing to hear the people's voices.
"Should the governor fail to react within two weeks, students
may demonstrate again," he predicted.
In agreement, secretary to Commission E for Social Affairs
Agus Waluyo wants the administration, particularly tourism, to
strictly control the used of the permits given to entertainment
operators in the capital.
"There are too many restaurant permits, for instance, that
have proven to be used for multipurposes. The operators could
modify the interior parts of the restaurants for gambling and
prostitution," Agus said.
"The city administration is lying if they claim to have no
idea about these things. We therefore hope that the governor does
what he is required to do," the councilor said.
According to a representative of the students, Muklis Ali,
many city and security officials backed the entertainment spots.
He said that the administration has to close the gambling
spots and take stern actions against those who backed the dens.
(ylt/ind)