Ancol beach to remain pay-per-visit

Indah Setiawati and Sita W. Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Wed, February 27 2013, 11:17 AM

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Where’s the R&R?: Thousands of holidaymakers cram onto Ancol Beach, North Jakarta, on the second day of Idul Fitri in August last year. The famed resort’s management is weighing up proposals to exempt visitors from paying entrance fees on certain days. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)

No one was victorious on Tuesday in a case involving the city administration, city-owned PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol and three Jakartans, which was heard at the Central Jakarta District Court.

The court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the three individuals against the administration and the operator of Ancol Dreamland amusement park for charging an entrance fee to Ancol beach.

The court also rejected a countersuit against the Jakartans, saying they were protected by the law in seeking justice.

Presiding judge Dwi Sugianto said the panel of judges found that the administration and the company did not violate any laws by requiring people to pay a Rp 15,000 (US$1.54) entrance fee.

The panel of judges considered that the plaintiffs’ argument that the entrance fee was against human rights was too general, and there was no regulation forbidding the collection of fees at a tourist site or beach to manage the area.

Dwi said the plaintiffs should instead file a judicial review request to determine whether the defendants had violated the law.

“The panel of judges sees no violation of any law [committed by the defendants] because they have followed the regulations, unless they are annulled by the judge in a judicial review,” he said, referring to the 1960 Government Regulation on the Utilization of Ancol Land, the 2009 Tourism Law and the 2007 Public Works Ministerial Regulation on Reclamation.

In the court’s verdict regarding the countersuit, Dwi said individuals and legal entities were allowed to file a suit through the court.

Last year, the three Jakarta citizens — Ahmad Taufik, Abdul Malik Damrah and Bina Bektiati — filed a lawsuit against the administration and the company over the Ancol beach entrance fee, they argued that it was a public space and no one should be subjected to any levies.

The company is 72 percent owned by the administration, 18 percent by construction firm PT Pembangunan Jaya and 10 percent by the public.

The idea of removing the Ancol beach entrance fee received support from Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who said the weekend was the best time for a free pass to the beach.

In response to the lawsuit, the Ancol operator filed a countersuit against the plaintiffs, demanding Rp 1.5 billion in compensation for defaming the company’s name.

One of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, Fahmi Syakir, said he was disappointed with the verdict.

“The panel of judges did not take our pleading into consideration and asked us to make a judicial review instead,” he said, adding his team would decide later whether they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Pembangunan Jaya Ancol general manager Sunutomo said the company accepted the ruling and would study Ahok’s suggestion.

Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo separately said the administration was preparing another beach for public to visit for free.

“It will be better than Ancol. We cannot reveal the location just yet because we are still procuring the land,” he said Tuesday at City Hall.

Jokowi voiced regret that the citizens had to file a lawsuit, and said that eliminating the entrance fee could financially affect the company.

Built in 1966, Ancol has been a popular destination for hundreds of thousands of people, especially during the holiday season.

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