Take action on deviant officials: Councilor

Take action on deviant officials: Councilor

JAKARTA (JP): Strong action should be taken against officials
who abuse their power in granting permits to establishments in
Kemang and other residential areas, a councilor said yesterday.

The council's deputy spokesman, Ismunandar, said that action
should not only be taken against building owners.

On Thursday five establishments -- the Soto Kudus Kemang
restaurant, the Jaya furniture show room, J & J rattan furniture
store, Iams Eukanuba dog food store, and the Jawa Tua antique
furniture show room -- were closed down by the South Jakarta
mayoralty.

Owners were given one week before the buildings had to be used
in accordance with their housing permits.

Owner claimed that they had not been notified beforehand, in
contradiction with mayor Pardjoko's claim.

Ismunandar said that action against officials was necessary
"to avoid the opinion that the public was always to blame in
cases of the abuse of permits."

He urged the municipality to announce the expiry of building
permits and identify those who had violated permits.

"These efforts are necessary to calm down other building
owners, who fear that their buildings will be closed by the
authorities," Ismunandar said.

As of yesterday, not one cafe had been shut down. Mayoralty
officials said that this was because they had only checked 27 out
of an estimated 123 non-residential buildings in Kemang.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja admitted earlier that several cafes
and restaurants in the Kemang area had operated with housing
permits because of irresponsible city officials.

Yesterday he issued a reassurance that existing establishments
with temporary housing permits would be allowed to operate until
their permits expired.

An establishment owner, Jacobus Tirta, of the J & J rattan
furniture gallery, which was formerly a cafe, demanded the city
be fair in it's policies.

He admitted that he did not have proper permits but feared
that well connected establishments would be left alone.

"All establishments, without legal permits, should be closed
down regardless of who owns the establishment," he said
yesterday.

Another owner said that a nearby cafe, which was often
frequented by celebrities, also lacked proper permits but had not
been shut down. Officials had claimed they had not yet checked
these cafes.

Uce Hamzah, the owner of Soto Kudus Kemang said that the
procedures to obtain permits were complicated.

"But when it comes to closures, why weren't we notice? What
kind of municipality do we have?" she said, adding that her
business had been started only six months ago.

The owners said that they supported the plan as long as it was
both consistent and fair.

Besides a written notice, D.J Siboro, the mayoralty's
spokesperson, said that business owners had been repeatedly told
of the plan via officials with microphones driving through
Kemang.

The mayoralty's data so far shows that other establishments:
the Radjasa Wahana Wiratama and Bibet Warung restaurants posessed
housing permits, while Mitra Hadi Prana gallery had a
registration card from the city's trade and industrial office.
(ste/11)