Why The Balinese Reject The Bill?

(Well, perhaps because the bill is simply ludicrous. Ludicrous bill needs no logical counter argument. It simply needs a fast rebuke and an instant rejection.)

Below is an excerpt from the Komponen Rakyat Bali’s statement of rejection. The delegation of Komponen Rakyat Bali presented the statement on Februari 21 to the chairman of the House of Representatives’s Special Committee on Pornography Bill.

The Balinese people reject the bill on the grounds:

1. The bill has failed to reflect and represent Indonesia as an open, tolerant society with a deep, profound respect to the unique social, cultural and religious values adhered by its different ethnic groups. The bill’s lack of understanding over the country rich, multicultural heritage is clearly visible in its narrow, superficial derogatory definition on and attitude toward the sensuality and sexuality of human body and of human’s aesthetic expression. The Balinese has never viewed sex and sexuality solely as the manifestation of human’s banal and carnal lust. Sex and sexuality are among the most important symbols in the Balinese religious and cultural cosmology. Sex and sexuality are viewed and respected as the symbolic representation of the divine power of creation and sustenance of the universe. The sacred religious object of worship Lingga-Yoni is the most obvious example of the symbolic importance of sex and sexuality. Lingga-Yoni is a three-dimensional stone effigy that resembles and, in fact, represent the union between a phallus and a vulva. The Balinese belief that Lingga-Yoni symbolized the union between Siwa and Uma, between Purusha (the masculine energy of the universe) and Pradhana (the feminine energy of the universe); a sacred union that gives birth and sustain the universe and mankind. In this context, the bill will prevent the Balinese from celebrating their cultural heritage and religious belief. Moreover, the spirit of the bill has clearly betrayed the Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) principle; one of our nation’s main pillars.
2. The bill has failed to display an appropriate respect and sensitivity toward the female members of our society. The bill has repeatedly, although implicitly, portrayed the woman and her (uncovered) parts of body as the cause of the moral decadence. Following this absurd logic, the bill dictated that the woman must cover her sensual body parts, which, in the definition of the bill, means nearly all of her body parts, to prevent such decadence. The Balinese refuses to acknowledge, let alone to accept, any legal product that threat their mothers and sisters in such a demeaning way.
3. The state has already had several laws, which provided a sufficient legal response to sexual-related and pornography-related crimes. Those laws are the Criminal Code, Law on Press, Law on Broadcasting, Law on National Motion Picture, Law on Children Protection and Law on Domestic Violence. There is no actual need or urgency for the state to draft a new law that specifically deal with pornography. The members of the House of Representatives should pay more attention to real, pressing problems of poverty, economic uncertainty and education stagnation instead of drafting an absurd law that will adversely affect the integrity of our nation.