The Palembang Municipal Administration has issued a circular ordering the closure of nightclubs between two days before and three days after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Violation of the policy carries a maximum penalty of three months in jail or Rp 50 million (US$5000) in fines, Deputy Mayor Romi Herton said.
The closure affects amusement centers, bars, discotheques, cafes, massage parlors and night music performances. Food stalls, restaurants and coffee shops are allowed to operate during the day, but must be hidden from public view with curtains. Roni said public order officers, local police and military would conduct a regular operation to uphold the regulation, which was issued to protect the sanctity of the fasting month in the South Sumatra capital city. Ramadan is expected to start on Aug. 22.
Your comments:
I'm all for compromise. I will gladly refrain from eating or drinking in public view, and I hope that in return my need for sleep at night during Ramadhan will be respected.
David
Jakarta
Might as well shut down everything for the month and declare month long holiday since everything can be "classified" as temptation.
L Tan
Batam, Riau Islands
It is only normal that majority, in this case Muslims, will always win. I totally don't understand why the government can't uphold what is written in the constitution: that every religion in Indonesia should be treated equally.
I truly believe that all government officials need to be tested whether they know their constitution or not. In Indonesia, the minority can't really speak up, since there is no such thing as freedom of speech in Indonesia.
What they're doing is very selfishly enforcing what they believe, instead of what is right. By closing those establishments, people that depend on these business for income will suffer. There is such a thing called options, and the Muslims should know better the purpose for fasting is to hold temptation not eliminate it.
Dion
Washington
I believe it is not about Muslim's lack of confidence on their piousness, nor a lack of confidence or fear of temptations. It is more about respect. Muslims want to show that the Ramadhan is a holy month for us, and urge (read: force) other faiths and people to respect this.
It also the way to show of force, to show who's the majority here. Try to see this though the eyes of most Muslims. In this exercise to enforce respect, I often heard clerics take example of Balinese Pecalang (Balinese Hindu officers) that have the authority to force people to not wander the streets and stay indoors during Nyepi, the day of silence.
Hindus are the majority in Bali and they have any right to do so. Quoting one of the clerics: "So it is shameful that we *Muslims* as the majority here do not exercise our position, by letting people *of other faiths* being disrespect during our holy month". I'm Muslim, but personally I do not agree with this show of force.
Just because we're fasting doesn't means we have the right to drag others to fast or "suffer" with us (I don't take it as suffering but religious obligations, but others forced upon or affected by it can take this as a suffering). But hey, there's many Muslims that don't agree with me.
Gunawan
Jakarta
I am Italian, I have been living in Jakarta for 10 years, so I guess I know a little about Indonesia. In Italy there have been protests regarding Muslim workers who are asked to drink while they work in the fields, as the heat will endanger their health if they fast during august.
Either they accept that they must drink to survive, or they are be fired. People say: if they don't like our rules, let them go back to their countries. Now I read that here in one of their countries, Muslims are accused by other fellow bule of accepting what other people want, and keep night clubs open during Ramadan, or accept other people eating or drinking in public.
I believe that we foreigners here, even though we work and pay taxes, we shall still accept that the majority of the people are Muslim. Ramadan only lasts for one month, so I don't think it will be hard to spend one month without going to nightclub, will it?
Stefano
Jakarta
Stefano, I believe you miss the point here. Muslims in your country are asked to drink during work for their own safety. Moreover, the employer will be held responsible if one of the workers collapses and dies from exhaustion.
In your country health services and hospitals fees are heavily subsidized by the state (if not provided for free!), therefore people getting injured are a burden to the community. The state has a duty to prevent people to purposely risk their health.
Closing night clubs it's a completely different thing. If you don't like clubs, discos and the likes you can just stay home if you like (or go wherever you feel for that matter), why force anyone else to do what you want?
Tolerance for different opinions and cultures is all it takes to live in peace. Respect is a two way road: nobody should force you to go clubbing, therefore you should not forbid others from doing it. The fact that the majority of Indonesian population is Muslim doesn't make Indonesia a Muslim country.
Hendra Hendra
Denpasar
Relax guys... take a deep breath and just take it easy. Be patient. This is the greatest time for you to learn patience. Impatience will just lead you to many diseases.
Diah Eni
Bantul, Yogyakarta
Folks, when you are in Rome you live like the Romans do. These measures that the local government makes are not to ensure that Muslims will have smooth and temptation free fasting but to also protect these unsavory establishments and the people who visit them from becoming the target of the inconsiderate, intolerant fundamentalists who will happily use Ramadan as a reason to run amok.
James J.
Jakarta
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