Forum: SBY signs porn law

Fri, 12/12/2008 10:36 AM  |  Reader's Forum

For those opposed to the anti-pornography bill, please read the text of the law carefully (academically) and compare them with laws in the U.S. (i.e., Texas's Penal Code Ch.43 on Offenses against public order and decency, or Alabama's Penal Code Ch. 12 on Offenses Against Public Health & Morals).

You will see that word by word the text of the anti-pornography bill is not that much different from the U.S. law. The U.S. law evens use the much-hated terminology "community standard" for decency and "arouse interest" (the merangsang word most people hate so much).

If you consider the West as a benchmark for democracy and law, then you should be very happy and should not complain. The fact that the Indonesian law even put in an exception (in article 14 if I'm not mistaken) for culture, arts, bikinis, and etc., is already a step forward to address the fears of our friends in Bali, Papua, or our photographer friends, photo models, sculptors, painters and etc.

As for you who still hate Tangerang's bylaw on prostitution, please read California's penal code on loitering for sex (street prostitution).

You will see that even one of the most liberal states still has regulations for public order. And yes, the law on loitering for sex in California also allows law enforcers to arrest woman/man if they "look like a prostitute or act like a prostitute or even stand beside the street in places where prostitutes hang out" with the last article on the section giving the law enforcers the ability to judge whether or not these people should be arrested based on the law enforcer's perception as to whether or not they may be prostitutes.

The only difference, the Tangerang law does not put you in jail while these other laws do. So for the anti-public order or anti-morality law people, please kindly realize that this is a step forward which should be applauded.
ISACH
Jakarta

Isach, I read your comment and almost fell out of my chair. The Texas and Alabama state laws which you cited are in fact penal codes for prostitution, not pornography. The states have very different sets of laws concerning those issues. In the U.S. (or at least most of it's states, as far as I know) porn is legal but regulated.

The real kicker, however, is your comparison between California and Tangerang. Prostitution is illegal in most states, yes. California police officers have the right to arrest, you're right.

The difference is California police officers are not reckless and corrupt. They are actually trained to know the difference between a passerby and an actual prostitute. Also, arrests here do get you in jail, just as the arrests in Tangerang do.

The difference is that the Californian prostitutes get a real and fair hearing with a real judge, while Tangerang "prostitutes" do not get a fair trial and are judged by a bunch of sexist dimwits. To compare California and Tangerang is really like comparing heaven and hell.
IYUEN
Jakarta

Isach, why do you and others like you who support bad regulations and standards, and compare them with the U.S.? Why don't you compare it to Europe or Australia or other Asian countries that set standards.

Europe et al has a better standard of living than the U.S. So, if you want to compare yourself to a standard, try comparing it with the best of the western world, not the near bottom.
IAIN
Jakarta

Why is everybody so paranoid about the law? There's no articles asking people to wear jilbab, not even an article that forbids women to wear short skirts or bikinis in the swimming pool. I think there's a widespread misunderstanding here.

People are deceived. Remember if the fight is truly for morality, there's no single harm the law can do to anyone. The law is already for everybody and bears pluralistic values. Besides, the law is just one more addition to other pornography laws currently existing in many countries, such as U.S., India, China and etc.

I heard on TV one that "Indonesia is a nation with the most frequent access to pornography, beating out the U.S., European countries and Russia." If it's true, then how alarming, how shameful it is. I am speaking as a father of a child.
DIDI
Jakarta

I am so disappointed. It really hurts me. This law makes women criminals. It doesn't protect women at all. And SBY didn't consider other people from several provinces who still resist this racial law. I don't think SBY knows what he's doing. He has wounded our Bhineka Tungal Ika.
AYU KHADIJA
Jakarta

I don't think people give a damn about your porn law anyway. Girls always like to dress sexy no matter what and guys always like to look at them.
STEVE
Ottawa

Indonesia, welcome to the dark ages. SBY sets the bar low for Indonesia and even lower for himself, way down to the lowest common denominator. You have just gone back 50 years Indonesia, what westerner will want to come there for a holiday.
ROD
Sydney

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