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Porn bill not religiously motivated
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta ,
Kalla urged the public to read the articles of the porn bill before staging protests. "Many of us haven't seen the porn bill in its entirety," he said.
The Vice President, who also chairs the Golkar Party, said the bill would respect cultural values and traditions across the archipelago.
"The bill clearly states that there is no problem with cultural values. The Balinese people could still perform their cultural traditions as usual, and there is no prohibition against Papuans wearing koteka (penis gourd)," Kalla said.
Asked whether tourists or Balinese could still wear "sexy" dresses on the beach if the bill were passed, Kalla said, "Sport is allowed on beaches. It is not prohibited."
"And don't forget, 48 states in the United States have pornography laws and the tourist sites are not only for Bali," he said.
"I don't think all swimming pools would be closed because of the porn law."
The much-criticized porn bill was initially scheduled to be brought to a House plenary session last week for endorsement.
However, the bill's passage was delayed due to widespread public opposition.
Some critics have said the porn bill threatens privacy rights and national pluralism.
Eight factions at the House, including Kalla's Golkar Party, support the bill, while the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) oppose it.
The PDI-P has promised it will submit a new pornography draft to the House for discussion.
Groups of women's rights activists from nine provinces gathered in Jakarta on Thursday to up pressure on the House to cancel the porn bill.
They said the bill could further criminalize women who had become victims of the sex industry.
The women's groups Friday submitted a joint statement of rejection to the House's working committee deliberating the bill.
They also expressed concern that many local administrations would issue anti-porn bylaws once the bill had been passed into law.
Coordinator for legal affairs at the Women's Legal Aid Foundation Sri Nurherwati said the bill contained a vague definition of pornography.
