Columns COMMENT: No Playboy please, this is Indonesia AMY CHEW
Jan 29: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The launching of the American adult magazine Playboy in Indonesia has been postponed in the face of protests from religious leaders in the worlds most populous Muslim nation, writes AMY CHEW. PLAYBOY, the famous American adult magazine, is raising temperatures in Indonesia and proving to be highly provocative even before its publication in the worlds most populous Muslim nation. Religious leaders are up in arms against the planned publication of the famous little tuxedoed bunny, calling for the magazine to be banned as it "threatens" the morals of the young. Said Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), the countrys largest Muslim organisation which claims 40 million followers: "I do not agree with the publication of Playboy because pornography in Indonesia has resulted in corrupting the morals of the young generation. "The magazine will encourage free sex in the country and our young generation will become hedonists. Allowing Playboy to be published is the same as legalising free sex." PT Velvet Silver Media, the Indonesian franchisee of Playboy, has promised the local version of the magazine will not contain nudity and will respect Muslim values. The magazine will also be subscription- based. However, religious leaders are not convinced. "Maybe for now Playboy will not have naked pictures. But later, I am sure, the magazine will carry such pictures as it cannot be separated from the format of its parent company," said Muzadi. In the face of the protests, Playboy, scheduled for launching in March, has now postponed its publication to a date yet to be determined. The moderate and mild- mannered Muzadis strong opposition toward Playboy highlights the sensitivity and growing conservatism in a country known for its tolerance. Locals in Jakarta will tell you Playboy was available in the black market long before. "I could buy Playboy since Suharto days. All I need to do is ask for a copy from booksellers in the Senen district in Jakarta," said a mechanic. After former President Suharto was ousted in 1998, an explosion of information followed, marked by the proliferation of hundreds of publications. Internet news services and radio stations mushroomed and the number of national private TV stations more than doubled from five to 11 in recent years. And taking advantage of the newfound freedom, pornographic magazines, once sold under the counter, are now being peddled in broad daylight. Take Gus, a 42-year-old driver for a small merchandise company, for example. Whenever he is caught in a traffic jam at the toll road exit in Tomang, West Jakarta, newspaper boys will come up to his car to sell cheap, pirated pornographic magazines for as little as 2,000 rupiah (RM0.80sen). "They sell those magazines openly. I buy them all the time. They have naked pictures of Caucasian women," he said. Indonesia also has its own brand of soft porn, magazines with titillating titles like Lipstick, Hot and Wild Girls. In addition, some popular local magazines like FHM or Popular regularly carry pictures of scantily-clad women. There is also no shortage of porn VCDs and DVDs. In the district of Glodok, north Jakarta, rows and rows of stalls on the sidewalks sell pirated porn VCDs and DVDs together with regular films. Private TV stations are no less bold. Several of them air erotic movies or raunchy shows disguised as lifestyle programmes. The furore over Playboy is unfolding at a time when Parliament is debating a draft anti-pornography Bill which stipulates jail terms for acts deemed to be indecent or sexually arousing. Human rights groups, cultural activists and the Press Council have all expressed concern over the anti-pornography Bill and see it as an attempt to limit the Press as well as an infringement of human rights and democracy. Acts which fall under the Bills ambit include kissing in public and exposing the belly button.Unfortunately, the row over Playboy coupled with the proliferation of pornographic material has only given ammunition to the Bills proponents. The Bill gives little consideration for the complex and plural make-up of Indonesian society. In the province of Papua, women still wear grass skirts and a bra while their men are attired only in a penis sheath, their belly buttons exposed for all to see in a society where such sights are the norm. In some villages in Java, old women still dress in sarongs and a bra, not to mention the traditional costumes donned by Balinese and Javanese dancers, all of which show the navel. "Under the Bill, anyone showing their belly button will be deemed to have violated the law and liable to be jailed," said Leo Batubara of the Indonesian Press Council. "That means, people performing Javanese and Balinese dances will be violating the law. And what about the people from Papua who wear the penis sheath? "That is their cultural attire. This Bill is against human rights, democracy and the culture of this country." Batubara also worries the Bill might be a case of history repeating itself an attempt to restrict a critical Press as had happened in the late 1950s. "Before August 1958, the media did not require a licence to publish. But in 1957, an anti-pornography movement took shape, asking the Government to issue licences on the media which eventually happened in 1958. "I fear the same might be happening again, that this anti-pornography Bill is not actually targeting pornography but newspapers critical of the Government." Licensing of the Press was abolished when former President Abdurrahman Wahid, a Muslim ulama, came to power in 1999. On the day he took office, Abdurrahman, known for his liberal and moderate views, announced the abolition of the Information Ministry, which regulated the Press, sending shock waves through the country as it adjusted to life without Suhartos autocratic rule. The ministry has since been resurrected under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. If the anti-pornography Bill is to truly achieve its aim of upholding morality, it has to strike a balance between ethics and freedom of expression while safeguarding the social and cultural traditions of Indonesian society. The traditions and culture of Indonesian society has existed before the advent of the major religions Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism in the vast archipelago. It is the same culture and tradition which has shaped Indonesian values and identity a heritage of morality, refinement and pluralism which must never be sacrificed for any vested interest. http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/Columns/20060128171316/Article/index_html Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
