I Wayan Juniartha, Denpasar – Bali People Component (KRB), a coalition of rights activists, pledged Thursday to continue opposition to the controversial pornography bill.

The statement was made following the Constitutional Court's ruling on Thursday that the bill did not violate any constitutional rights.

"We believe the bill does not respect the country's multicultural nature, the traditional heritage of the indigenous people as well as the diverse religious beliefs of the country's citizens. Therefore, we will continue our struggle against this bill," KRB coordinator I Gusti Ngurah Harta said Thursday evening.

The panel of judges at the Court issued its ruling on a judicial review motion filed by the opponents of the bill. The court refused the motion and declared that the bill didn't violate the constitutional rights of the country's citizens.

Harta objected to the ruling, claiming it undermined the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) professed by the nation's founding fathers.

"[The ruling] is a setback for our nation and for our continuing effort to establish a democratic society based on mutual respect toward cultural diversity..." Harta said.

KRB has spearheaded a popular opposition to the bill since 2006, when legislators from Muslim-based parties presented the first draft of the "anti pornography and anti porno-action law".

Led by several respected Balinese figures including scholar I Made Bandem, dramatist Cok Sawitri and Hindu high priest Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa, KRB successfully mobilized island-wide support for the opposition.

Its main objection focused on the ambiguous nature of the law, as evident in several articles open to interpretation.

"The articles equate nudity with pornography. This notion blatantly disregards the fact nudity has different social, cultural and even religious contexts in different parts of the country," Bandem said previously.

One of the most sacred objects in Balinese Hinduism is the Lingga-Yoni, a physical depiction of a phallus and vagina, which is also the symbolic depiction of Lord Siwa and Goddess Uma. "How could we accept a bill that prohibits the symbols we hold sacred?" Harta said.

Public opposition, including from other regions, forced legislators in Jakarta to shelve the bill's draft. But two years later its revamped version was presented to the House of Representatives. This time public outcry failed to stop the bill's passage. The House endorsed the bill in October 2008.

Earlier on Thursday, a KRB delegation asked Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika to clarify the province's stance on the issue.

"Given Bali's unique social and cultural setting, the Bali administration will not implement the bill. This bill does not reflect the sociological and philosophical values deemed important by Balinese," Pastika said.