Ismira Lutfia, Jakarta – Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring's porn-free Internet plan got a boost on Tuesday when 10 civil society organizations told him they backed his war on pornography.
"We should not let our guard down to the danger and be aware of it only when a public distribution of celebrity sex videos is affecting our younger generation," said Azimah Soebagijo, of Network of Supporters of the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law.
She was referring to videos of singer Nazril "Ariel" Irham purportedly having sex with TV hosts Luna Maya and Cut Tari that were leaked on the Internet in June.
The scandal turned out to be a "blessing in disguise," said Juniwati Sofwan, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Committee for Pornography Eradication (KIP3), because it was a wake-up call to people about the dangers of pornography.
The frenzy surrounding the scandal was soon followed by the ministry's plan to make pornographic Web sites inaccessible in Indonesia, with Tifatul vowing to have a smut-free Internet by the start of Ramadan.
On the eve of the fasting month, six major Internet service providers demonstrated their filtering systems.
"Up to now, up to 90 percent of the porn sites are inaccessible," Tifatul claimed. "I frequently check on them through my mobile phone and [the most popular ones] are now blocked."
Peri Umar Farouk, the resources coordinator of Jangan Bugil Depan Kamera, or Don't Get Naked in Front of a Camera, dismissed public concerns that the ministry had gone too far, saying the porn-free drive was appropriate because it enforced the law.
"And this is not just the obligation of central government but also regional adminstrations," said Peri, whose group was among those meeting Tifatul.
Juniwati said her organization would call on regional governments to propose their own antiporn bylaws.
The deputy secretary general of Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), Amirsyah Tambunan, said there were two ways the government could tackle pornography – education and strict law enforcement.
"Offenders must be punished and we have to really take note that this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.