Politician apologizes to employees of karaoke shuttered after he was caught with drugs on the premises

Over the weekend, Diamond Karaoke joins Stadium and Milles on the list of Jakarta nightlife establishments permanently shut down by the government after drugs were found on the premises. The person on whom those drugs were found, former Golkar politician Indra J Piliang, sent an open letter to the media which included an apology to Diamond’s employees who are now without jobs.

Indra was detained detained along with two others for suspected meth consumption during a drug raid in Diamond on Wednesday. Instead of getting arrested and thrown in jail, the disgraced former politician is currently at home after being ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation.

Diamond had already been put on notice by the government after a raid found six consuming meth on the premises in April. The Jakarta government has a two strikes policy on narcotics being found in nightclubs and the decision was made to permanently shut down Diamond on Saturday.

In the open letter sent to Detik and other media outlets, Indra apologizes for his actions (without specifically bringing up the narcotics) and asks Allah for his forgiveness.

He also apologizes to and extensively praises the employees of Diamond, writing: “They are the ones who are looking for life in the jungle of Jakarta. They consist of office boys and girls, waiters, captains, security guards, parking attendants, food vendors, drivers (taxis and Grabs/ Uber), lady companions, mums and parties who bear the consequences of my case. I’ve been communicating and interacting with them, even though I can not remember their names.”

“To me, they are unpretentious people. They work even harder than they should for the wages they receive. I see them all as very diligent workers who never even ask for tips”

“I apologize to them. Because of the problems I face, they have no certainty about being able to provide for their families. On average they only went to junior high school or high school. They are not people who have special skills, nor have they received training in the field of work they occupy.”

He ends the letter by writing: “With all my heart, I ask the management who has been profiting from their sweat to pay attention to their fate. Do not let them become the victims, just because of the legal violations done by a handful of parties, including myself and my colleagues.”