The brouhaha over the passage of the online porn law by the House of Representatives recently has sparked an endless debate as to what actually constitutes pornography.

It is, however, not that easy to arrive at a single definition of pornography as everyone has considerably different perceptions of it. Debating it will not be worth the effort because we will never reach any mutual agreement of its precise definition.

Thus, the principle weakness of the law is that its formulation is not based on something well-defined. As such, it is subject to multiple interpretations and consequently cannot act as a binding law.

Issues dealing with indecency have long been subject to heated debate in Indonesian society. The strong opposition to pornography mostly comes from religious and conservative groups. These groups are usually the first party to voice their antagonism against any kind of act they consider indecent and disgraceful.

They often justify their position as "a guardian" against immoral acts whose function it is to safeguard the nation's morality. In essence, they are the moral majority of the nation.

Recently, the antipornography stance has become an infamous slogan for political campaigns. Those living in Tangerang are probably familiar with the slogan, along with the picture of the incumbent mayor, posted on a big banner. It reads Jauhi prostitusi, judi dan miras untuk menciptakan masyarakat yang akhlakqul karimah (Refrain from prostitution, gambling and alcohol in order to create a society of good conduct).

In the name of morality, our society has always been (purportedly) averse to anything deemed indecent or promiscuous. In our context, indecency and promiscuity have been the absolute measure of whether or not one has good morality.

Now with easy online access to porn sites, there is fear, particularly among parents, that their children become consumers of adult-oriented websites.

All of these phenomena suggest our society has been suffering from pornophobia, a term derived from the Greek porne (prostitutes) and phobia (fear), which can literary be rendered as fear of prostitutes.

We are always brainwashed into thinking pornography is the byproduct of Western culture and that it should, by all means, be condemned. The banal axiom is that indecency, be it visual or printed, is incompatible with and can erode our Eastern norms and mores. However, this is not necessarily correct.

If one pays a visit to the Shiva temple of Sukuh on Mount Lawu in Central Java, one can witness a "pornographic" panorama of a large relief in the temple's gateway depicting the male's genitalia (locally called lingga) pressing against the females' vagina (yoni). Along the way to the temple one will be flabbergasted upon seeing an ancient statue of a man holding his erect penis. This, indubitably, bears evidence that pornography is historically emblematic of our ancestors' civilization.

But are we really suffering from pornophobia? Is the endorsement of an online porn law by the House a kind of legal manifestation of a pornophobic society?

Let's not be hypocrites. To be candid, we are, for different reasons, always taking an avid interest in something related to (semi-) pornography. The consumption of (semi-) pornographic material such as foreign hardcore porn films, adult magazines, tabloids, newspapers still prevail ubiquitously. They are readily available for public consumption. Nevertheless, no stern measures have been taken so far by the authorities to ban the selling of these materials.

Now that the online porn law has been endorsed and has come into effect, imposing a severe sanction of a maximum of three years in prison or a fine of up to Rp 1 billion (some US$107,000) for those caught red-handed providing and downloading pornographic websites.

This may certainly augur ill for the owners of many Internet cafes (warnet) mostly operating in the capital. However, the extent to which the new law can be effective in combating pornography and porn acts has been doubted by many.

After all, who can guarantee, upon the passage of the law, the sexual violence rate in the country will automatically plummet? Who can guarantee our young generation will avoid free sex? Who will dare give us the assurance the law will prevent people from committing adultery and being sexual promiscuous? Who can assure us the law will make people refrain from other perverted sexual acts, as has been the case of our respected lawmaker whose leaked sex tape with the country's famous dangdut singer once caused a public uproar?

No one knows for sure, and it will remain to be seen. But one this is for sure. Lust or sexual desire is a divine endowment God has bestowed upon His creations. It is an inherent disposition that cannot be controlled by other people, not even by the leviathan of the endorsed online porn law.

The writer is chief editor of the Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching. He can be reached at setiono.sugiharto@atmajaya.ac.id.

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