The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction of the Serang City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has voiced strong objections to the Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) on Tourism. The regulation is deemed to contain loopholes that could legalize nightlife operations and the trade of alcoholic beverages in the capital of Banten Province.
Eko Sucipto, a member of the Serang City DPRD from the PKS Faction, specifically highlighted the draft of Article 46, paragraphs (2) and (9), as well as Article 59. According to him, the provisions in these articles contradict the identity of Serang City, which is religious and deeply rooted in community values.
Eko emphasized that the points in the draft also contradict Article 9, letter a, of the same draft regulation. That rule mandates tourism business operators to always respect religious norms, customs, and local culture alive in the community.
Furthermore, Eko stated that this rejection is not merely a matter of formal regulation, but a form of moral responsibility towards the future of the younger generation. He reminded legislators to be cautious in formulating policies with broad social impacts to avoid adverse effects in the future.
Echoing this sentiment, the spokesperson for the Serang City PKS Faction, Erna Yuliawati, presented the faction's general view, which deems the legal draft to still have fundamental weaknesses. PKS highlighted the absence of an affirmation of tourism principles and objectives based on local wisdom as the main foundation for drafting the regional regulation.
PKS also emphasized that Serang City already has Regional Regulation Number 11 of 2019, which definitively bans the existence of nightlife. Therefore, the Serang City Government is urged to optimize the enforcement of existing rules through the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), rather than drafting new regulations that trigger controversy.
