The Jakarta Post
Mob power has taken over the role that the state once played in our recent past in curtailing our freedoms -- from freedom of speech and expression and freedom of thought to freedom of religion. But what is so tragic is that now we are supposed to be living in a democracy, and the state is failing miserably in protecting these freedoms -- to the point of even being complicit to some of the mob actions. Acclaimed film director Eros Djarot became the latest victim of this suppression of freedom. Work on his latest production, Lastri, has been halted because of threats and intimidations from groups who claimed the movie would spread communism. Eros and his crew were in the Central Java city of Surakarta last week to shoot the movie. Although he had secured permission from the National Police headquarters in Jakarta, the Surakarta Police decided to withhold their permi...