Banten Regional Regulation Bans Food Stalls Open During Ramadan Criticized By Eko: Serang Government Feeling Greater Than God?

Social media activist, Eko Kuntadhi (Screenshot of CokroTV)

JAKARTA - Social media activist Eko Kuntadhi strongly criticizes Regional Regulation No.2/2010 on the prohibition of selling food in Serang City, Banten. The evidence in carrying out this Regional Regulation is to respect people who are fasting.

According to Eko, this Regional Regulation is discriminatory because not all people in Serang City observe fasting. For example, menstruating women, the elderly, travelers or walkers who happen to stop by in Serang, the sick, laborers who work hard for the children. After all, not all Serang people are also Muslim.

"What does it mean? It means that religion itself compensates certain groups for not fasting, they can eat during the day. But Serang Government seems to feel greater than God", Eko said on the CokroTV Youtube channel reported by VOI, Friday, April 16.

In the Regional Regulation, it is stated that if there is a food stall that remains open, its merchandise will be confiscated, even cooking utensils such as stoves and others. The owner will also be fined IDR 50 million or locked up for 3 months in prison.

Ironically, the local government does not think about compensation for the food stall business. One month of fasting, they were forced to bite their fingers because they had no income. So, why are other businesses such as minimarkets to roadside cigarette stalls not all regulated in the Regional Regulation?

"At that time, perhaps in the eyes of the rulers of the Serang community, their faith was thin. If they were fasting they had to be protected so that it wouldn't be canceled. As a form of protection, all food stalls had to be closed so that people would not be tempted".

"In my eyes, this is a very, very discriminatory and funny rule even though Indonesia is a democracy that recognizes the rights of all citizens. Indonesia is not a Taliban country. And Serang is in Indonesia not in Afghanistan", said Eko.

Head of the Regional Legal Product Enforcement Division (PPHD) of the Serang City Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), Tb Hasanudin, said that restaurant managers who were recklessly operating at the time of the prohibition could face up to 3 months imprisonment. Not only that, restaurant managers, food stalls, and others can be fined a maximum of IDR 50 million.

"If it is still carrying out, still open, still serving during the day, it will be subject to sanctions. The penalties can be in the form of a bodily absence of approximately 3 months and a maximum money sanction of IDR 50 million", said Tb Hasanudin, Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

For the record, the policy of raiding food stalls in Serang Banten has always been a problem. In 2016, there was a viral video of Satpol PP raiding a shop and confiscating the things of a woman in Serang.