Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim insists that Tangerang municipality would not change its stance on the closure of nightspots at Pinangsia complex in Karawaci, despite protests from workers.
“The Pinangsia nightspots will not be reopened, no matter who protests. When we ordered the closure, it was meant to be a permanent measure. The Pinangsia establishments are illegal,” Wahidin said
Saturday.
He added that he understood the closure caused workers at the establishments to lose their jobs, but insisted that there were still many other jobs that were more dignified.
“There are many private firms that need workers in Tangerang municipality,” he said.
Hundreds of former Pinangsia workers staged a rally at the municipality building on Jl. Satria Sudirman, Tangerang, on Wednesday to protest the Jan. 9 closure.
Accompanied by activists from the All Indonesian Labor Union (SPSI), protestors demanded the administration reopen the nightspot so they could earn money to feed their families.
Tempers flared when protestors were barred from entering the building grounds by security officers, resulting in some protestors attacking a passing truck. No one was injured in the incident.
Protesters voiced their demands in speeches at the rally and on banners placed outside the municipality building reading “Free us from starvation,” “Think of the welfare of Pinangsia workers” and “Don’t lie to us”.
The protesters, mostly female, criticized Wahidin and the city councillors, saying that the officials only took an interest in public welfare during regional elections.
Security officers eventually allowed 10 representatives from the rally to enter the building and meet with councillors from the local legislature’s Commission B.
In the meeting, protestors urged councillors to issue a recommendation to reopen Pinangsia because they could no longer find jobs at other places due to their age and lack of skills.
Councillor Mahdi Ardiansyah, the commission secretary, said the reopening of Pinangsia would require a permit and that the administration, not the council, was responsible for issuing these.
“However, we will pass on the demands from the workers,” he said.
Tangerang administration closed the nightspot on Jan. 9, saying it operated illegally at the Pinangsia complex and that the closure was an effort to force area residents to comply with 2005 bylaws banning prostitution and the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
During the closure, officers sealed off the entertainment complex, which houses 11 karaoke bars and massage parlors. Two weeks after the closure, the administration received a letter requesting the administration reopen the establishments.
