W

est Java Governor Achmad Heryawan is excited about hosting the Miss World global pageant. After hosting the visit of  Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes,  who said she was '€œamazed'€ by the lush Lembang mountain resort, naturally Achmad is looking forward to further boosting the province'€™s potential.

The Miss World 2013, to be held here by the Miss World Organization and the MNC giant media group, is scheduled for September in Bogor, West Java and Bali '€” the first time that the country will host an international beauty pageant.

But there is one problem. Achmad won the recent election on the ticket of mostly Islamic parties. Sure, he cracked down on the infamous Saritem brothel, but governors cannot forever cater to moral sensitivities. In welcoming Lopes as a guest, Achmad defied the rejection of the West Java chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and women organizations.

Now the MUI'€™s Bogor chapter has said it rejects Indonesia hosting Miss World. The New Order was firmly against such pageants, one MUI official said, though a few rebellious aspiring models secretly flew out with sneaky sponsors.

 Part of the women'€™s movement rejects all pageants as female degradation for the sake of business, while others resist state intervention on the basis that it is an individual'€™s free will to contest such pageants. Ahead of September, the God-fearing will voice their objections louder. Pageants only serve to arouse men'€™s lust, the MUI representative said.

For the past few years we have officially sent representatives, bickering about whether they should wear one piece of clothing or two, or whether they should skip the swimsuit session altogether.

But being host would mean an official acceptance of the event. To seek a national blessing, Achmad was quick to suggest that bikinis worn by the contestants should be replaced by the kebaya national costume.

Yet ahead of the 2014 general elections, many are wary of the '€œIslamic'€ vote, while President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has rarely shown a firm hand against those claiming to represent all Indonesian Muslims. This has led to a set of success stories for certain Islamic groups, including the 2008 Pornography Law, local  restrictions on the Ahmadiyah minority,  last June'€™s canceled Lady Gaga concert and today'€™s confusion over religious values in the new curriculum.

Add religious vigilantes to the mix and Indonesia should risk less fuss in marking its place on the global map by hosting a pageant '€” at least until we see a less wobbly government on issues of morality.

The MUI also warns against sending representatives to pageants, but try telling that to young women after instant recognition, at home and beyond.

Many decry the obsession with physical appearance. For all the pretense to search for the smartest, most compassionate and most beautiful woman of the year, all the public largely sees are pin-up figures to gawk at, despite all the good work that winners have inspired, as highlighted by their sponsors.

For countless females, contesting pageants are faster routes to respect and admiration compared to, for instance, toiling up the corporate ladder while balancing the traditional expectations as a wife and a mother.

At the risk of being hypocritical, for now let us just send pageant contestants and host stunning ambassadors '€” while campaigning for less fixation with the scales.