Think twice before passing the pornography bill

Jakarta Post, Opinion and Editorial - September 22, 2008

Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Ngawi, East Java

Just as observers were commending the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) for distancing itself from the exclusive Islamism it is often associated with, the disappointing news that the party's faction in parliament is pushing for the controversial pornography bill to be passed, emerges (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 12, 2008). Critics of PKS such as journalist Sadanand Dhume warn that in the long term, the PKS is the most serious Islamist threat to Indonesia's historic pluralism. We hope Dhume is wrong, but the actions of PKS parliamentarians sadly suggest that he may be right.

Critics have pointed out too many flaws in the bill, including the vague definition of pornography and its provision that opens the way for individuals and groups to take part in "preventive measures" against pornography. Considering that this provision will legalize anti-porn vigilantism, it beggars belief that PKS, which enjoys an image of being an "intellectual" party, should support it at all.

Mahfudz Siddiq, chair of the PKS faction in the House, said Indonesia was in urgent need of a pornography law due to widespread moral decadence. As the main evidence of Indonesia's moral decadence must be the rampant corruption in respectable institutions such as the Parliament, the Attorney General's office and the banking system, it is difficult to understand how a pornography bill will improve our nation's morals, especially where improvement is desperately needed.

When European artists raised in Victorian values first visited Java and Bali many of them felt liberated by the relaxed attitude people here had towards sexuality and nudity. Though nudity is now much less common than it was at the beginning of the last century, many Indonesian ethnic groups and sub-cultures still enjoy their age-old innocence.

Our indigenous people who have a different sense of decency in apparel than the mainstream Islamic dress code will be humiliated and alienated by this code. People of Papua, for example, who are accustomed to a degree of nudity, will be made to feel morally inferior. The bill will make criminals of artists who study the nude figure, poets who evoke erotic visions, filmmakers who show too much flesh and novelists who describe scenes of lovemaking.

The bill further defines pornography as things that "can arouse lust and lead to the violation of normative values within society; and it can cause the development of pornographic acts within society". How vague can the definition of "arousing lust" be? If you Google the words jilbab and porno, the Indonesian word for porn, in less than a second over 200,000 sites will be made available for you to browse through. This indicates that for a great number of people, the jilbab head cover is sexy and arouses lust. Would it be reasonable to imagine that the bill will ban the jilbab because some men lust after women who wear it?

It is true that Indonesia has seen horrific scenes of sexual violence. The mass rapes suffered by ethnic Chinese women in Jakarta during the May 1998 riots are undoubtedly the worst examples of sexual violence that we have experienced. Did these rapes have anything to do with the consumption of pornography?

Reports from those horrific days told of mobs chanting holy names of God while they pillaged and raped. If chanting the hallowed names of God sexually aroused the mobs that raped the ethnic Chinese women in Jakarta during the riots of the fall of Soeharto, should the bill ban the chanting of God's names?

Lust is something that is aroused inside a person's mind and though outside stimuli can spark the arousal, it is irrelevant to what goes on inside the mind of the aroused. Therefore, it is very foolish to pass a law that attempts to regulate lust, as anything can become an object of desire. It is not what the senses perceive -- rather it is what the mind thinks which makes one lustful.

Of course, no one in his or her right mind would support the idea that porn should not be regulated at all. Even in liberal democracies sexy magazines are displayed on the highest shelf where only adults can reach them, porn shops only serve adults and porn shows are for adults only. The Soho area of London's West End is famous for its sex joints, but an observation of the customers of sleaze there will show that most customers are tourists, many from religious countries where sexuality is repressed.

The urgency to pass a law on pornography here is political rather than real. Playing the pornography card is an easy way to elicit sympathy from the vocal minority of the Islamist masses. It is the same shameless reason that drove several politicians and a cabinet minister to visit the self-proclaimed defender of Islam, Rizieq Shihab, in police custody, accused of inciting violence.

There are so many other urgent issues that Parliament should concern itself with, such as corruption in Parliament or the question of bringing in more participation and transparency in development budgeting and planning. If we look at our media, we see that graphic violence in our television shows and in our society is much more intense than sex. Disturbingly violent police anti-crime shows are commonly aired during the times when small children are often glued to the television.

PKS parliamentarians should take a step back and listen to the critics of the pornography bill because the critics sincerely have the best interests of the nation on their minds. While the supporters of the pornography bill do not seem to care that the bill defines porn in such dangerously vague terms, its critics are justifiably concerned that the bill will bring more harm than good.

As a party that grew out of Islamic student discussion groups, PKS should not be promoting a bill that is completely devoid of intellect. Pushing this bill might endear PKS to the small minority of Islamists who delight in intimidating other members of society, but it will alienate rational and reasonable Muslims.

The writer is an artist and former journalist. He can be reached at bramn4bi@yahoo.com