Jakarta – Supporters of the much-debated porn bill came out en masse in a number of cities Sunday, urging lawmakers to immediately pass it into law to improve the country's morals.
The demonstrations, with the Jakarta rally's estimated attendance reaching tens of thousands, brought together several Muslim organizations, including Hizbut Tahrir, Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Prosperous Justice Party and others from Jakarta, Banten and West Java.
In Jakarta, demonstrators packed streets around the House of Representatives complex, forcing the closure of streets leading to the toll road entrance in front of the House building.
Religious leaders including the NU's Hasyim Muzadi, Muhammadiyah's Din Syamsuddin, Husein Umar and Cholil Ridwan were on hand, Antara newswire reported. Celebrities such as dangdut music legend Rhoma Irama, an advocate of cleaning up the entertainment industry, also took part.
Opponents argue the bill does not address the distribution of pornographic materials but instead is an assault on people's personal freedoms, especially of women, because it defines a range of acceptable public behavior. Strong opposition to the bill has been expressed by the artistic community as well as several ethnic groups which decry what they consider an attempt to create a monotheistic society.
The heated, emotionally charged debate about the bill has exposed a cultural divide, and many protesters Sunday carried banners denouncing secularism.
A leader of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Ma'ruf Amin, said the bill was essential as the basis to eradicate pornography. He criticized those in the media industry and entertainment businesses who oppose the bill.
House Speaker Agung Laksono, who met with representatives of the demonstrators, said the legislature would remain neutral by accommodating different opinions on the bill.
Muslim groups also rallied Sunday in West Sumatra's capital of Padang, Surabaya, East Java, Semarang, Central Java, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, and Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan.
In a discussion Saturday, participants expressed concerns that one law cannot be used as a vehicle to arbitrate religious and social norms. University of Indonesia legal expert Maria Farida questioned if the bill could enhance public morality.
Mubarik Ahmad of the Ahmadiyah religious group said at least 18 regions were poised to issue sharia-based bylaws, such as a much criticized one against soliciting in Tangerang, if the bill came into law.
House working committee deputy Chairun Nisa said the bill failed to regulate pornography, and would not work in controlling how people behaved, "... because it's impossible to tell how people to dress or the way their cultures are".