After Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama declared he would shut down the infamous red light district of Kalijodo (in the wake of a deadly crash supposedly caused after the driver had gotten drunk in the area), one of his political rivals, Abraham Lunggana (aka Haji Lulung) challenged Ahok and his administration to also shut down Hotel Alexis.
Now, anybody with the slightest bit of knowledge about Jakarta’s seedy underbelly has heard stories about Hotel Alexis. Located in North Jakarta’s Ancol entertainment district, the infamous hotel/club/”spa” is believed by many to be the capital’s most expensive and luxurious brothel.
But despite its reputation and all the stories people tell, Hotel Alexis is actually not a place of prostitution. How do we know that? Well, that information comes from a man who you can trust to be an authority on all things related to entertainment in the capital – the head of the Jakarta’s Tourism and Culture Department, Catur Liswanto.
“(Alexis) is a place of entertainment, not a place of prostitution,” Catur told Detik on Friday.
According to him, members of his department has been to Alexis to monitor the activities there (multiple times, we’re sure) and they never found any evidence that it was being used as a brothel.
“During our monitoring, we have found no such evidence. So we do not dare to take action. We are basing this on evidence,” Catur said.
In case Catur’s words haven’t convinced you, take a look at the completely innocent website for “Alexis Hotel” and read its official description:
“Strategically located in the Ancol area, North Jakarta, Alexis Hotel is the pioneer that sets the benchmark for adult one stop entertainment hotel. Known as the dreamland for men, Alexis Hotel reflects the essence of Jakarta entertainment, offering 74 lavishly appointed suite rooms, as well as gastronomic delight in its international restaurant and the amazing entertainment area that comprises of 4Play Club & Bar Lounge, XiS Karaoke, and talk-of-the-town BathHouse Gentlemen Spa.”
Nope, nothing suspicious about that at all. Why, there isn’t even a single photo of a sexy woman on the site, further proving what Catur said about a lack of evidence.
The ever pragmatic Governor Ahok took a slightly different stance when asked why he would not shut down Alexis or similar venues. Without commenting on Alexis specifically, he basically reiterated his previously stated stance on prostitution, which is that it was a social problem that could not be eliminated (it having already been around since the time of the Prophet) so it’s better for it to be contained in certain areas where it could be regulated and monitored in line with the Indonesian concept of lokalisasi.
“Actually in Jakarta there are unofficial areas of lokalisasi, like in Ancol, Kota and Mangga Besar, where lokalisasi is fine because it is expensive,” Ahok told Kompas, contrasting it with an area like Kalijodo where vice was cheap and thus difficult to control.
But, of course, that’s not an answer that your average Indonesian is willing to accept. So the official line remains the same – there’s no prostitution at Hotel Alexis.
