Yesterday’s news that Governor Anies Baswedan has effectively shut down North Jakarta’s infamous Alexis Hotel, long-rumored to be a hotbed of high-class prostitution, is still dominating headlines today.
Many are praising the recently inaugurated governor for going through with the closure, which he had promised to do during his campaign, but others are saying this is only the beginning and urging Anies’ to keep going until all places of prostitution in Jakarta have been eradicated.
The vice chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Zainut Tauhid Saadi, voiced his support for Anies’ decision not to extend the business license for the notorious hotel, but said the governor had to do more.
“MUI hopes that the decision is not just a bluff, but really made into an official decree by the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta, thus having a definite and executable legal force,” Zainut said in a written statement released today as quoted by Kompas.
“MUI also hopes that this policy will not only apply to Alexis Hotel, but all other hotels and entertainment venues offering prostitution and human trafficking businesses that should also be closed.”
Several politicians voiced similar opinions, including Jakarta City Council member Prabowo Soenirman.
Pak Anies should not stop at Alexis alone because there are many other places that are doing similar (allegedly immoral) things,” Soenirman said today as quoted by Detik.
Anies himself has said yesterday that his administration would continue to carry out similar actions against businesses that were reportedly allowing prostitution.
A few critics questioned the legal basis for the administration not renewing Alexis’ business license, as the main evidence cited in the denial letter are media reports and complaints from the public, but Anies implied that the government has stronger evidence, such as photographs of illicit activities, that could not be released to the public.
It’s not yet clear if the owners of Alexis will attempt to fight the decision legally, but some, like Jakarta City Council Vice Chairperson Mohamad Taufik said the administration had to make sure that the government had clearly documented violations when shutting down businesses such as Alexis in order to prevent legal troubles.
There are hundreds of places in Jakarta where prostitution is rumored to take place, from hedonistic high-class strip clubs in Central Jakarta to the spas, massage parlors, karaokes and “executive clubs” that are spread across the capital. Closing all of them would be an enormous task from an administrative and legal perspective.
While the Islamic hardliners that Anies wooed to win the election would probably like to seem them all shut (except perhaps for those groups rumored to make protection money off of them), real-world evidence such as the 2014 closure of Dolly in Surabaya (once the country’s largest red light district) show that attempts at eradicating prostitution can just drive the practice underground, making it less safe for sex workers while also increasing the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
Reader Interactions