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Massage parlors and padlock oligarchy
The move by the administration of Batu regency in Malang, East Java, to have all masseuses lock their pants with padlocks is frankly controversial
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The move by the administration of Batu regency in Malang, East Java, to have all masseuses lock their pants with padlocks is frankly controversial.
The policy is said to maintain the image of Batu as a tourist destination and minimize prostitution practices among massage parlors mushrooming in the area.
Batu is reputable for its beauty and is home to two resorts, Selekta and Tretes, located within the regions's hills. Like other tourists resorts, a lot of hotels and night establishments, which are typically inseparable components in the tourism industry, have been mushrooming of late.
If the masseuse policy is a genuine move to maintain Batu as a tourist destination, common people, especially experts in the tourism business, may ask, "Has the administration, including Malang's mayoralty, made significant and professional moves to develop the tourism industry in Batu?"
Thank God the beauty of Batu is a constant. Efforts to polish the resorts have mostly been aimed at the development of hotels, restaurants and nightspots.
If this is the case, the controversial move could well frustrate the administration and show them up for failing to make innovative steps to boost the industry.
Perhaps the decision has been made for moral reasons. From a moral point of view, no one in Indonesia openly supports, condones or agrees with any kind of prostitution. The administration is showing its hypocrisy because, legally, if Batu officials confirmed all parlors as prostitution businesses it would imply the officials had too experienced those services. How can the officials be so sure the masseuses are prostitutes? Legally, there must be evidence.
Batu has been developing as a tourist destination for decades, meaning that permits for investors to build hotels, restaurants as well as entertainment centers have been issued for a long time. According to the procedures, permits for establishing such infrastructure start with recommendations from the lowest echelons of bureaucracy, including neighborhood chiefs, village heads, regencies and mayoralties.
That is why, if massage parlors are found to function as illicit prostitution houses, all levels of bureaucracy in Malang actually contribute to the transgression. The Criminal Code rules local administrations have the right to ban any activity it considers unlawful. So why have they kept issuing such permits? Isn't it apparent that any form of prostitution is illegal?
The padlock policy has apparently 'disturbed' State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta Swasono, who dubbed it unfair, adding that women must not be held soley accountable.
The minister is also of the opinion that not all massage parlors are used as brothels, and that some operate purely to provide health services.
In spite of the controversy, the Batu administration's move has likely inspired Jakarta's administration. If true, Jakarta, which is a metropolis and a modern city, is truly preparing itself for a set-back. Minister Meutia said in a press briefing using CCTV technology to prevent promiscuity in massage parlors room would be more humane and acceptable.
If Jakarta is really interested in taking over the idea, such a decision would merely reflect its frustration and difficulty in upholding the law. Although massage parlors are believed to be used as brothels, the capital's administration has been half-hearted in punishing them.
Many Jakartans are aware that karaoke halls, massage parlors and other kinds of entertainment centers often take on more controversial operations, especially obvious when it comes to the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan. Special regulations are only implied during this month. The establishments, including massage parlors, are then allowed to operate again after Ramadhan. If massage parlors are believed to be committing these crimes, why are they allowed to operate again?
The answer could lie in such establishment's alleged role as cash cows for administration officials involved in decision making, and members of certain organizations that reportedly conduct raids whenever the entertainment centers fail to provide them with a sufficient sum of money. Operation permits for entertainment centers are said to be costly and difficult to obtain. This oligarchic process starts from the lowest bureaucracy at the neighborhood level.
Therefore, it is time for all provinces, mayoralties and regencies to take the controversial move initiated by Batu administration as a reminder to reconsider whether massage parlors should be allowed to operate for purposes of contributing to local revenues and for being cash cows for certain individuals or organizations, or whether they should be closed for good for being illegal, which the administrations are entitled to do.
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at soeryo_winoto@yahoo.com.
