The Pekanbaru City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has once again voiced the urgency of revising Regional Regulation (Perda) No. 3 of 2002 concerning Public Entertainment. The over-two-decade-old regulation is deemed no longer relevant to the rapid growth of nightlife venues and the social dynamics in the capital of Riau Province.
Chairman of Commission I of the Pekanbaru City DPRD, Robin Eduar, stated that the operational hour rule limiting nightlife activities until 10:00 PM WIB is difficult to enforce in the field. Many venue operators currently violate the regulation because the existing operating hours are considered out of step with operational standards in other major cities, which generally allow operations until 1:00 AM.
"We urge the City Government through the relevant regional agencies to immediately conduct a comprehensive study. This old regulation no longer accommodates current conditions, where the number of nightlife venues has grown rapidly from just a few locations to dozens," Robin said.
Furthermore, Robin highlighted that discussion of this revision has actually emerged since 2014, but has yet to make it into the Regional Legislation Program (Prolegda). The legislature hopes the local government will promptly submit a draft revision so it can be included in the 2026 Prolegda discussions.
This revision is considered crucial to provide legal certainty for both business operators and local law enforcement. With updated regulations, it is hoped that monitoring, licensing, and enforcement procedures can run more effectively without sparking prolonged public controversy.
