Mass organizations not allowed to raid nightclubs

Jakarta administration asserted on Thursday that no mass organization would be allowed to raid nightclubs or involved in operations to uphold regional ordinances during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Head of the provincial public order agency Effendi Anas said the city bylaw entrusted measures to maintain public order only to the agency.

“No mass organizations will be involved in the monitoring and law enforcement against amusement centers during Ramadan,” Anas said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Mass organizations, he added, could report any violations of bylaws to the public order agency, tourism agency and the city police. “It is us who will take actions against errant nightclubs,” he said.

Previously Governor Fauzi Bowo had insisted that he would not tolerate any mass organizations that took the law into their hands when it came to violations committed by nightclub operators.

“There will be no mass organizations involved in the repressive actions. They can only file reports and let the public order agency and city police enforce the law,” Fauzi said.

Speculation has rife that hard-line ethnic and Islamic organizations will be involved in the clamp-down on nightclubs that fail to comply with a regulation on restriction of operational hours of amusement centers during Ramadan. The governor’s presence in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Islam Defenders Front (FPI) on Saturday sparked fears of a compromise between the city administration and the hard-line group, infamous for its raids on nightclubs in the past.