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Getting a beer amid strict alcohol ban in S. Tangerang
âAll roads lead to Rome
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'All roads lead to Rome. I can still easily buy beer as some shops near my house sell it,' said 19-year-old Bianca AN when asked whether she found it difficult to buy her favorite beer after the enactment of a ban on the sale of alcohol in her city, South Tangerang.
'The ban means nothing to me,' said Bianca, who wrongly believed that at her age it was legal for her to consume alcohol.
A bar owner in Serpong, South Tangerang, who spoke on condition of anonymity, criticized the bylaw issued by the South Tangerang administration, which prohibits the sale of any kind of liquor and beer in the city.
'The bylaw contradicts a regulation issued by the Trade Ministry, which bans minimarts from selling alcohol, but allows hypermarkets, supermarkets, bars and restaurants with special permits to sell it,' said the middle-aged businessman.
However, like Bianca, the bar owner said so far his business had encountered few difficulties but that he needed to exercise caution with the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), which sometimes raided bars and cafés in the area.
'They raided my restaurant in March and confiscated some of our goods. However, after the raid, we ran our business as usual,' said the businessman, who opened his bar several years ago.
Meanwhile, an Italian restaurant in Serpong, South Tangerang, has seen a drastic drop in sales because many of its regular customers have dropped off as since March it has not sold wine or beer.
The cashier, who wished to be known only as RB, said most customers were expatriates living in the area.
'Many customers canceled their orders after they knew we didn't sell alcohol anymore,' she said.
Seamus Deery, a 33-year-old Irishman living in the BSD compound, South Tangerang, said he was disappointed with the bylaw because he could not get beer easily and bars were not always his first option if he wanted to drink alcohol.
'I still drink beer but it now means I have to go to a bar, which I don't always want to do,' he said.
Separately, Indonesian Retailers Association deputy secretary-general Satria Hamid said his association would request the South Tangerang administration to review the bylaw and allow the sale of alcohol in places where demand was high, such as places with higher concentrations of tourists and expatriates.
South Tangerang is home to dozens of multinational companies, international schools and middle- and upper-class housing complexes such as Bintaro Jaya, BSD City and Alam Sutera.
South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany signed Bylaw No. 4/2014 in January last year, stipulating that no individuals or businesses, including supermarkets, karaoke bars, restaurants or bars were allowed to produce, distribute or sell alcoholic drinks.
Branding itself a 'smart, modern and religious', destination, the city is facing poor infrastructure and corrupt bureaucracy complaints from its own residents.
Airin is implicated in a graft case involving the construction of health facilities worth Rp 7.8 billion (US$607,000) carried out by her administration in 2011. The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named seven suspects in the case, including Airin's husband, Tubagus Chaeri 'Wawan' Wardana, who is also the younger brother of disgraced former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah.
Meanwhile, the city's Industry and Commerce Agency secretary, Malikuswari, said the city had implemented the bylaw to avoid alcohol abuse. (rbk)
