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akarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said on Friday his administration would allow entertainment centers like karaoke rooms and venues with live music to operate during the Ramadhan fasting month.

“Those who operate the business are sometimes also fasting. They also need money for Lebaran,” he said, referring to Idul Fitri.

Ahok said the administration would still offer business owners the opportunity to generate income during Ramadhan since their workers also needed to eat.

However, Ahok said some entertainment centers would be obligated to close one day before Ramadhan started, slated for Monday.

“They are allowed to open but the hours will be regulated,” he said.

Separately, Jakarta Tourism Agency head Catur Laswanto said the regulation would be the same as last year because it was based on Gubernatorial Decree No. 98/2004 on the operational times of entertainment businesses in the city.

“Entertainment hubs that are located inside hotels are allowed to operate but other places should be closed entirely,” he said.

He said entertainment centers like massage parlors and night clubs would be obliged to close one day before Ramadhan until after Idul Fitri.

Catur said karaoke rooms and entertainment centers with live music would still be allowed to operate under limited hours, from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Stand-alone billiard halls may operate from 10 a.m. until midnight.

The agency head said the regulation had been broadcast to business owners by the agency’s branch offices in each municipality.

“The monitoring will be conducted by our personnel, assisted by the Public Order Agency [Satpol PP] and the police,” he said.

The city administration usually deploys the Satpol PP, assisted by the police, to supervise entertainment venues.

The administration and the police have also warned Islamic organizations or other hard-liners not to raid entertainment hubs that violate the regulations.

Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said previously that only the Satpol PP and police personnel were allowed to sweep or raid entertainment hubs.

A similar sentiment was also expressed by Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Moechgiyarto, who said that besides business owners, mass organizations should also comply with the law.

“We will deal with them [the businesses], so we hope there will be no raids on them during Ramadhan,” he said.

Moechgiyarto said on Friday that his office had recently held a meeting with all related stakeholders including the city administration, businesspeople and social organizations, pertaining to the operational hours of night spots during the Ramadan month.

He claimed that all stakeholders had committed to the agreement, which included prohibitions on organizations raiding entertainment hubs.

The public will be able to identify whether a night spot is allowed to operate or not based on color stickers attached to the site. Red means prohibited, while green means the business is allowed to operate under certain hours.

“We also need the public’s participation to monitor any suspicious activity. If a night spot is marked with a red sticker and operates during the ramadhan month, please immediately tell us,” he said, adding that the police would take bold action against any night spot found to violate regulations. (fac)