The proposed legislation against the display of navels, public kissing, artistic nudes, sexual innuendo in movies and other lewd activities, which I'll leave to your imagination, is uniting the Indonesian blogosphere like no other issue before, although puritanism, an excessive strictness of morals and religious fervour, has been on the rise ever since krismon.
A new blog, Jiwa Merdaka (Free Soul), has been set up by a group of Balinese activists to oppose the anti-pornography legislation. The blog is written in both English and Indonesian and contains many reasons for Balinese opposition which are related to specific aspects of their living culture.
Those of us who have other spiritual and cultural values will recognise and support their cause because it is also ours.
1. The bill has failed to reflect and represent Indonesia as an open, tolerant society with a deep, profound respect (for) the unique social, cultural and religious values adhered by its different ethnic groups.
The bill's lack of understanding over the country's rich multicultural heritage is clearly visible in its narrow, superficial and derogatory definition (of pornography) and attitude toward the sensuality and sexuality of (the) human body and of human's aesthetic expresion.
2. The bill has failed to display an appropriate respect and sensitivity toward the female members of our society.
Jakartass is in total support of all who oppose this bill. There is no need for it.
3. The state has already had several laws, which provide a sufficient legal response to sexual-related and pornography-related crimes. Those laws are the Criminal Code, Law on Press, Law on Broadcasting, Law on National Motion Picture, Law on Children Protection and Law on Domestic Violence.
The members of the House of Representatives should pay more attention to real, pressing problems of poverty, economic uncertainty and education stagnation instead of drafting an absurd law that will adversely affect the integrity of our nation.
Reject the Anti-Pornography BillBookmark the site, leave a comment, write your own post. After all, there should be Unity In Our Diversity.
