TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
City agency under fire for inviting representatives of banned organization
When discussing the sensitive issue of domestic violence, seeking the advice of an illegal organization might seem inadvisable, however, it appears someone in the Jakarta administration did not get the memo
Change Size
W
span>When discussing the sensitive issue of domestic violence, seeking the advice of an illegal organization might seem inadvisable, however, it appears someone in the Jakarta administration did not get the memo.
The Jakarta Women’s Empowerment, Family Planning and Child Protection Agency (PPAPP) had planned to hold a meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss the content of a poster campaign designed to prevent violence against women and children.
But what should have been a positive event led to public outcry after invitations to some questionable representatives went viral on social media.
Included in the two-page invitation list was the Muslimah (female Muslim community) of disbanded hard-line group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). As well as representatives of a banned organization the agency also invited the controversial newly formed online movement Indonesia Tanpa Feminisme (Indonesia without feminism), a somewhat surprising invitee to an event designed to promote women’s rights.
Netizens expressed their concern about the two groups being formally invited by an agency of the Jakarta administration.
Agency head Tuty Kusumawati acknowledged that it was a mistake and said that her office should have paid more attention to the organizations that needed to be invited.
“The mistake was that we invited an organization banned by the government.” Tuty said as reported by tempo.co on Thursday.
Tuty had signed off the invitation list on Wednesday.
As a result of the outcry, the agency postponed the event and officially removed Muslimah HTI from the invitation.
Tuty also admitted that she did not read the invitation list carefully before signing it.
“I didn’t look at the list of invitations in detail when I signed it. Because the letter had gone through an acting official and the agency secretary,” she said, without naming the officials.
An internal investigation into the staff responsible for of the mistake has been launched as a result of the blunder, Tuty said, and she would take appropriate action against the relevant officials.
“While the investigation is ongoing the drafter of the invitation list has been relieved of duty,” she added.
Jakarta National and Political Unity Office (Kesbangpol) section chief Taufan Bakri said the PPAPP had not made contact with the 12 invited organizations, including the banned Muslimah HTI, although they were listed in the invitation.
Former HTI spokesman Ismail Yusanto refuted any suggestion that an invitation had been sent out to the defunct group. “No such invitation was sent” Ismail told tempo.co on Thursday.
The launch by the PPAPP of the poster depicting an antiviolence message against children and women was part of a campaign by activists opposed to gender bias.
“The reason I wanted to initiate this meeting was to get insights from various communities regarding women and children’s [protection],” Tuty said.
The government officially disbanded the HTI in 2017 for its activities, which the government claimed contravened the state ideology of Pancasila and the principle of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia. The hardline group had publicly promoted the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in the country.
Whilst its activities are within the law Indonesia Tanpa Feminisme is an online movement that disavows feminism as a western and liberal idea that “demonizes traditional family constructs”.
On Instagram the group has amassed more than 4,000 followers. (tru)
