Nur Janti, Jakarta – Political humor has long had a place in Indonesia, functioning as both entertainment and a subtle form of social commentary. In recent months, it has found renewed visibility through Mens Rea, a stand-up comedy special by Pandji Pragiwaksono that pokes fun at those in power while drawing a large and engaged audience on a global streaming platform

Filmed in the Indonesia Arena in Central Jakarta in August last year, Mens Rea began streaming on Netflix in late December, marking the final stop of Pandji's tour across 10 cities. Its arrival on a major platform signaled how political humor, once confined to small stages and niche audiences, has moved into the mainstream.

Pandji opened the Jakarta show by greeting the audience as "the superiors of the President of the Republic of Indonesia," setting the tone for a performance that uses humor to deliver political criticism. The line drew laughter not only for its audacity but also for its appeal to common sense, reflecting frustrations shared by many Indonesians. The special topped Netflix's TV shows ranking in Indonesia in mid-January and quickly became a talking point on social media.

Pandji has said Mens Rea was created in response to the country's current sociopolitical conditions, with the aim of making political issues more accessible to a broader public.

"Politics is funny. Sometimes I don't understand why young people don't want to engage with politics, even though it directly affects our lives," Pandji said on April 17 last year, as quoted by Tempo.co. He added that viewers would leave with a better understanding of politics. In this sense, humor becomes an entry point, lowering the barrier to engagement in a political climate that many find exhausting or alienating.

Pandji is not alone. Other comedians such as Bintang Emon and Arie Kriting have also used humor to question power, public policy and inequality, often drawing from everyday experiences familiar to their audiences.

Bintang's observational style frequently highlights contradictions between official statements and lived reality, particularly in relation to bureaucracy and law enforcement. Arie, meanwhile, uses storytelling and self-deprecating humor rooted in his background as an eastern Indonesian, bringing issues of identity and regional inequality into focus. Their approaches differ, but both rely on humor that feels grounded and recognizable.

When jokes meet the law

Despite being framed by its creator as political education, Mens Rea also sparked controversy. The show was reported to the police by individuals claiming to represent Angkatan Muda Nahdlatul Ulama and Aliansi Muda Muhammadiyah. The central leadership of both major Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, later clarified that the reports were not made on their behalf.

As of early this month, at least six reports relating to Mens Rea had been submitted to the Jakarta Police, prompting follow-up action from investigators. The reports heightened concerns among artists and observers about the shrinking space for humor that touches on politics, particularly when jokes are interpreted as insults or threats to authority.

Those concerns sharpened on Friday, when Pandji was called in for questioning after the police said they had received complaints that some material in the show was insulting and blasphemous. Pandji emerged from the Jakarta Police headquarters about seven hours later. The police said he had been summoned for questioning but did not name him a suspect or announce any formal charges.

"I answered the questions as best as I could and don't believe I committed blasphemy," Pandji told reporters, adding that he would follow the legal process.

The Netflix special, released on Dec. 27, features satirical commentary on Indonesian politics, including the 2024 election won by former general Prabowo Subianto. Pandji also criticized Indonesia's two largest Muslim organizations for accepting government mining concessions under then-president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, a move both groups have previously defended.

The nearly two-and-a-half-hour show has since divided opinion, with critics accusing Pandji of insulting religious and state institutions, while democracy activists and fellow artists have rallied to his defense.

Jakarta Police spokesman Andaru Rahutomo said officers were "clarifying several matters" based on five police reports.

Cultural expert and former rector of the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) Seno Gumira Ajidarma said the reports reflected a narrowing tolerance for humor that challenges power.

He said humor grows out of the dynamic relationship between criticism, authority and social limits, and can only thrive in societies willing to tolerate discomfort.

"When society or those in power start becoming allergic to humor, that's when problems begin," Seno said, warning that attempts to police jokes often signal deeper anxieties about dissent.

Long tradition of political humor

Using comedy to comment on politics and social issues is part of a long cultural tradition in Indonesia.

In Javanese wayang kulit (shadow puppet theater), the punakawan characters, namely Semar, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong, represent ordinary people who are free to criticize and laugh at kings and warriors. Speaking in everyday language, they puncture authority through jokes and common sense, offering audiences a moral compass grounded in lived experience rather than hierarchy.

Ludruk, a traditional comedic musical theater from East Java, similarly uses humor to voice the concerns of ordinary people. One of its most celebrated figures, Cak Durasim, used the form to express anti-colonial sentiment during the Japanese occupation. He was later imprisoned and died in custody in 1944, underscoring the risks humor can carry when it confronts power too directly.

Seno noted that during the New Order era, jokes about then-president Soeharto circulated quietly as acts of resistance. In a political environment where open criticism was dangerous, humor became a coded language, allowing dissent to be shared without being named explicitly.

Comedy groups such as Warkop DKI were known for their social criticism, satirizing issues ranging from campus militarization to corruption. Their famous line, "laugh before laughter is banned," captured both the joy and the precarity of joking under authoritarian rule.

Humor, Seno said, is never neutral. Jokes that carry criticism invite audiences to laugh at those in power, reframing authority as something fallible rather than untouchable.

"Humor is always political because it always takes sides. Under authoritarian governments, people with no real power often resist by laughing at their situation, because they have no other way to fight back," he said.

Source: https://asianews.network/the-subtle-power-of-everyday-indonesian-humour