Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – When a song called Vasectomy was aired by an independent Indonesian Internet radio station earlier this year, many listeners thought it a joke due to the song's literal treatment of such a "delicate" matter.
The song, though little known to audiences, was in fact a public service announcement from the National Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), radio station organizer Christoforus Priyonugroho said.
Today's generation might think it strange to promote contraception through music, but a song about voluntary male sterilization might sound less strange for those who remember the heyday of family planning in Indonesia in the 1980s.
Former BKKBN head Haryono Suyono, who has often been called the Indonesian "father of family planning", said that family planning is not like it used to be.
"There had been challenges then, but the situation was conducive to the work. Matters were not made difficult," he said.
Indonesia's population has increased by more than 32 million people 237.6 million over the last 10 years to, according to the interim 2010 census results, leading some experts to ask if the country might face a population boom in the near future.
Despite recent efforts, family planning programs have been largely abandoned since the fall of former president Soeharto, who had been its biggest proponent.
Haryono said that there had been unity among state institutions at the central and regional level during the glory days of family planning.
"We went all out and we integrated all our authority," he said. "Today that unity has been torn apart because family planning program has been left to regency and municipal heads. It's hard to unite those leaders – even at the provincial level."
Indonesian Family Planning Association (PKBI) director Inne Silviane said that it was not until the 1970s that family planning became a national priority. PKBI, an independent organization established in the late 1950s, had to conduct its family planning programs underground until the 1970s, when things changed, Inne added.
She said that despite the government's past successes, there had also been a dark side to family planning. "We disagree with the coercive methods that the government previously used," Inne said.
Such coercion included using soldiers and forcing people to use contraception that was incompatible with their physical condition. There were also reports of doctors inserting contraceptive devices into women without their knowledge.
Haryono dismissed allegations that people had previously been forced into family planning programs, adding that the current situation should create momentum to revitalize the program.
"If the population has indeed increased to over 240 million, then this is a great chance [for family planning] to return because things cannot be left as is," he said.
He said the BKKBN's earlier strategies employed simple communication methods, such as giving hearty appreciation to successful proponents.
The appreciation also took simple forms, such as a lunch with the governor or the President, he said. "They were happy enough with such gestures," Haryono added.