Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Golkar officials in Bali have declared their opposition to the pornography bill, saying they accepted the risk of taking up a different position from their Jakarta counterparts.
The Golkar Party in the capital city have chosen to side with the pro-pornography bill supporters, who mostly comprise representatives of Islamic political parties.
The officials said they had prepared themselves to be expelled both from the party's legislative candidate list and party membership.
Dewa Ayu Putu Sri Wigunawati, deputy secretary of the Golkar Bali office, said she was ready to inform her party colleagues in Jakarta that the Golkar Bali office had thrown its weight into opposing the pornography bill.
Wigunawati, who is also named as the party's legislative candidate for the upcoming general elections, acknowledged that her decision might jeopardize her future political career.
Yet, she said, she also realized that her current position would be useful to help her explain the Balinese position on this issue.
"The pornography bill will likely mean abandoning part of the Balinese cultural inheritance, including sacred aspects, so even though Golkar legislators in Jakarta have showed their support for the bill, I have chosen a different path here. I'll take the risk," she told reporters after attending an activists meeting Tuesday.
Anak Agung Ngurah Mahadipta, chairman of the Indonesian Youth Reform Organization, said he had made up his mind to back the activists opposing the bill, saying the new law would create more harm than good for the country.
Along with Wigunawati, he said he wanted to communicate his decision to their colleagues in Jakarta.
"I will explain to them that the decision is not taken for political reasons, but purely motivated by the implications for national unity, which might be harmed in the immediate future," he said.
"I still hope that this explanation could help change the position of party central officials," he added.
The two Golkar officials were among the activists who attended a meeting, which was held to organize a series of mass rallies aimed at opposing the pornography bill.
Grouped under the Bali People's Component (KRB), the activists planned to put some pressure on the government during the deliberation of the bill.
"We will be all out on this as our main target is to get rid of the bill once and for all," Sugilanus, one of the KRB activists, said.
Sugilanus said KRB activists were also planning to organize daily art performances that might be considered to contain pornographic materials according to the bill.
Besides the Denpasar-based Golkar officials, representative from the Bali Tourist Guides Association, Nyoman Nuarta, also said he would ask his fellow tourist guides to support the struggle by joining the KRB mass rally.
"The bill will automatically disrupt our livelihoods as there will be less tourists to come to Bali if the government decides to pass the bill," Nuarta said. "Therefore it is our obligation to oppose the government plan to pass the bill," he said.
Nuarta said that there was also the possibility that he might inform tourists about this struggle during their trip.
"I could ask my guests to look at the mass rally and once they ask me the reasons behind the rally, I will explain to them that we are currently struggling for our right of expression."
"Hopefully they will pay attention to this matter by bringing the issue to their countries. The more people from other countries become aware of the issue the better," he said.