Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The House of Representatives should exercise extra caution before passing the pornography bill into law because many of its contentious articles have not been resolved, a respected Muslim cleric says.
Cleric Mustofa Bisri of the 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama said legislators should listen to the opinions of many people from a variety of backgrounds and faiths before passing the bill into law. "The House should accommodate as many people's aspirations as possible," he told Antara in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday.
Mustofa, who runs a Muslim boarding school in Rembang near Semarang, said the bill contained no clear-cut definition of pornography. The existing vague definition could allow multiple interpretations and cause confusion and conflict, he said.
The content of the draft bill is currently being disseminated in selected provinces before it is passed. Particularly controversial articles in the law involve regulations on public dress and restrictions on nudity in the media and art. If the bill became law, women who bare their shoulders or legs or artists who include nudity in their work could be prosecuted for indecency and could be jailed or fined up to Rp 2 billion (US$217,503).
Strongest opposition to the bill has come from predominantly Hindu Bali, where nudity in certain contexts is an accepted part of the island's art and culture. Balinese also worry that tourism could be affected by the law – with holidaymakers forbidden from wearing revealing swimming outfits.
Balinese protesters have threatened to seek independence from Indonesia if the bill is passed as is. Opposition has also been voiced in Papua, another place where there are few cultural prohibitions on nudity, and in Batam, where tourism plays an important part in the island's economy.
Women's groups and artists throughout the country are also against the bill, which they say intrudes on personal privacy, curtails creativity and criminalizes women for their sexuality.
Mustofa criticized some Muslim groups that were trying to push the law through the House without proper consultation. The pressure was "a manifestation of panic from Muslims who have no self-confidence", he said. There was little transparency in the drafting of the bill, Mustafa said.
"It seems that certain Muslims are so worried about globalization and are unable to deal with it that they are resorting to speedily passing this law."
First drawn up in 1999, the bill had been shelved until last year when it was revived after pressure from Muslim-based parties concerned about what they perceived was the moral degradation of the nation.
A House legislator said the bill showed tolerance for pluralism was waning in this multi-religious and multicultural society.
Sidharto Danusubroto of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle said pluralism was under threat as long the pornography bill existed in its present form. "There are certain groups who are forcing their ideology on others," Sidharto said.
He said the bill was unsuitable for Bali and Papua for cultural and religious reasons. "The bill is not urgent because the issues are already covered by the Criminal Code," he said.
A member of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Ma'ruf Amin, meanwhile, criticized people who were trying to "block, change and slow down" the deliberation of the bill, calling them "the liberal-minded who seek unlimited freedom".
Most people in Indonesia backed the bill, Ma'aruf said. "We urgently need it." Neither were Muslim groups forcing others to adopt their values, he said. "There will be compromises for sure. We do not want the law to force people to cover up their bodies completely. We are not rigid."