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.