Sutiyoso supports gambling center
Sutiyoso supports gambling center
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Governor Sutiyoso and City Council chairman Edy Waluyo
agreed on Tuesday with the recommendation from the University of
Indonesia to set up a gambling center here.
"If we want to be realistic, we should imitate Malaysia with
its gambling center in the Genting Highlands," Sutiyoso told
reporters.
He acknowledged that gambling activities could not be
eradicated, saying it would be easier to control the activity by
establishing a government-regulated gambling center.
He admitted that the administration at the moment finds it
increasingly difficult to control the mushrooming illegal
gambling activities.
"Ideally, there would be no gambling at all. But it's
impossible," Sutiyoso remarked.
He hailed the recommendation made by the university's
Structural Development Study Center, saying that he would set up
talks with Muslim clerics on the center's proposal.
Asked about the idea to open a casino on an island in
Kepulauan Seribu (the Thousands islands) off of Jakarta, Sutiyoso
said, "Yes, it could be in the islands."
He said the gambling center should be located far from low-
income people, and should be targeted for wealthy gamblers.
The university's study center recommended however on Monday
that Jakarta needs a legal gambling center as part of an urban
system to eradicate petty crime in the city.
Separately, councilman Edy Waluyo supported the idea.
"In addition to foreigners and tourists, it (the gambling
center) could also be for local rich people here. It's better for
the locals to gamble here than abroad," Edy said.
He revealed that several city councilmen and some Muslim
clerics visited casinos in Genting and Cairo, Egypt, in 1997 for
a comparative study on gambling.
He said the study concluded that gambling could not be
eradicated, instead, it needed to be controlled.
He added that the council then sent a letter of recommendation
to the administration to authorize a gambling center here. The
council suggested the administration ask the central government
to review a presidential decree which banned gambling across the
country.
"The decree should exempt Jakarta and Bali as the places where
gambling is allowed," Edy said.
Article 303 of the Criminal Code states that gamblers could
face a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail for participating in
or organizing gambling without a permit. According to the
article's explanation, a permit could be issued by the authority.
Several years ago, then-governor Ali Sadikin allowed a few
gambling dens here. The presidential decree that banned gambling
was issued after Ali's term ended in 1987. He was replaced by
Governor Tjokropranolo who introduced programs to eradicate
gambling here.