DENPASAR, BALI — It’s not every day that traditional culture is used as a defense of pornography, but approximately 1,000 Balinese citizens insist that a controversial anti-porn bill will criminalize everything from kissing in public to ancient forms of art and dance.Wearing traditional sarongs, protesters gathered on Wednesday to speak out against a bill that claims to protect youth from lewd acts and pornographic imagery, but makes nearly anything related to sensuality illegal.
Reuters reports that the predominantly Hindu country, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, has yet to pass the bill. In fact, it has languished in parliament for more than three years, enduring considerable criticism from those who insist it will further undermine Bali’s reputation for tolerance.
Nonetheless, some political entities are eager to see the bill’s latest draft approved, with some opining that it would be an excellent Ramadan gift for believers.
Not everyone is so enthusiastic, however, including one protestor who attended the capital city rally in Denpasar and told Reuters that “We in Bali see the body as aesthetic, but the pornography bill sees the body as an object of sin.”
Supporting the man’s contention are a multitude of nude sculptures and paintings produced by the island’s natives over the centuries and attracting tourists from throughout the globe. Reuters indicates that some who gathered during the Wednesday rally performed sensual traditional dances to further illustrate their point, while others merely carried signs reading “The porn bill is not a gift, but humiliation for the nation.”
Ida Bagus Putu Wesnawa, chairman of Bali’s House of Representatives told those assembled that “We strongly reject the implication of the pornography bill and we urge all community elements not to allow regulations that potentially separate the nation to be issued.”
Wesnawa indicated that lawmakers plan to travel to Jakarta next week to urge parliament to drop the bill. Earlier in the week, governor Made Mangku Pastika rejected parliament’s plan to pass the highly controversial bill, even after it had been watered down following street protests and continued criticism. Some pundits have worried that the bill might encourage moral extremists to being doling out their own brand of justice.
Although illegal, explicit material is not difficult to find in Indonesia and sexual innuendo and exposed skin is not uncommon during television broadcasts.
