TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Midnight nightclub closure unlikely, says official
Illustration
Change Size
Illustration.(tribunnews.com) (tribunnews.com)
Illustration.(tribunnews.com)
The Jakarta administration has said it is unlikely that a draft bylaw will be passed limiting the operational hours of nightclubs to 12 a.m., as midnight was the hour most partygoers arrived at venues.
'Jakarta is different from Bali, where nightclubs begin operating at 5 p.m. In Jakarta, most people arrive at home at 8 p.m. because of traffic jams. They go out at 10 p.m. How could we close them when visitors had just arrived?' said head of the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency ,Purba Hutapea, as reported by kompas.com on Saturday.
He was commenting on a statement made by deputy City Council speaker Mohammad Taufik on Friday in which he said that a draft bylaw on city tourism had stipulated that nightclubs would be ordered to close at midnight.
The draft bylaw has been deliberated by the City Council's Legislation Agency (Balegda) and will be discussed further by the City Council and officials from the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency. The draft bylaw also regulates the operation of other nightspots, such as karaoke clubs, saunas, massage parlors and live music lounges.
According to Purba, operators of nightspots had delivered their arguments about their opposition to the closure of nightspots at midnight when they met with members of the City Council's Balegda recently.
'I hope members of the City Council listen to the aspirations of their people, the nightspot operators. They have demanded that the nightclubs we allowed to operate until 2 a.m.,' Purba said.
Nightspots Entertainment Operators Association chairman Adrian Maulite has expressed his strong opposition to the draft bylaw, calling on city councilors to allow nightclubs to operate until 3 a.m.
According to Adrian, all nightspot operators opposed the bylaw as such a regulation would negatively affect not only their earnings but tax revenues of the city administration.
He said that members of the association wanted to meet the City Council to discuss the issue. 'Jakarta is a metropolitan city. It is impossible to close nightclubs at midnight and the governor has stated previously it is up to [the operators]. (bbn) (++++)
