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Muslim groups slam Anies for allowing DWP concert
While the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) has been lauded as an international electronic music festival that has benefitted Jakarta tourism, not everyone is a fan of the annual event
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hile the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) has been lauded as an international electronic music festival that has benefitted Jakarta tourism, not everyone is a fan of the annual event.
Members of several conservative Islamic groups have protested against Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and the “immoral” festival, which they claim goes against Muslim values.
About 30 people grouped under the Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) gathered in front of City Hall in Central Jakarta on Tuesday to protest Anies’ decision to allow the event to take place.
The group describes the DWP as Asia’s largest immoral gathering, which encourages casual sex, as well as the consumption of drugs and alcohol.
In his speech, GPI head Irwan AHN expressed his disappointment with Anies for not having the courage to end the event.
“Our beloved governor supports immoral acts. He allows [thousands of] people to attend the DWP to conduct immoral acts,” he said during the protest.
The day before, members of the Native Indonesians Movement (Geprindo) voiced their disapproval in front of City Hall and demanded that the governor cancel the show.
The groups also threatened to stage a protest at the festival’s venue, the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on the first day of the event.
The annual music festival began in 2008 as the Blowfish Warehouse Project at Blowfish nightclub. Starting in 2010, the festival as it is known today was annually in the month of December until 2017, just after Anies was elected governor in the most divisive, racially charged Jakarta gubernatorial election the capital had ever witnessed.
As Anies had gained victory by riding the growing Islamist wave, protests against the DWP reportedly gained ground, prompting organizer Ismaya Live to move the event to Bali in 2018.
This year, the DWP is returning to Jakarta for its 11th installment.
When asked about the protests, Anies declined to comment and told reporters to direct their questions to the Jakarta Tourism Agency instead.
The agency’s acting head, Alberto Ali, announced in a video released on Wednesday that the Jakarta administration would allow the DWP to take place with several prerequisites.
“That the committee pledged to follow every legal and formal rule, as well as respect the cultural norms that are applied [in Indonesia] accordingly. The committee also assured the Jakarta administration that the event would be free from the use of drugs and other addictive substances,” Alberto said in the video.
He added that if the committee violated any of its requirements, the administration would take strict measures that could include revoking the event’s permit.
Tanya Sumartono, a 22-year-old who had already bought DWP tickets, said that she was still going to attend despite the protests.
“I don’t understand why they brought religion into this. They said they were disappointed with Anies for not siding with them because he is “a governor backed by Muslims”, but the DWP has been around longer [than Anies has been governor],” Tanya said on Friday.
She conceded that alcohol consumption was allowed and that even one of the sponsors of the event was a beer company, but she assured that attendees were able to drink responsibly.
As stated in the terms and conditions listed on its official website, the event strictly restricts the sale of alcohol to visitors who are over 21 years of age. The terms further said that organizers would not hesitate to refuse entry to anyone showing up severely intoxicated or clearly affected by drugs.
All attendees will be subjected to a thorough airport-style pat-down and must go through an electronic drug detector as well as a K-9 search before entering the festival grounds.
Jakarta Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi weighed in on the controversy and said the annual event should not be eliminated because it contributed to Jakarta’s revenue.
“The DWP is Jakarta’s last source of income [for the year]. And it’s not just this year; [the event] has run for many years and they represent income,” Prasetio said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
When asked to comment on the recent protests and permits and security concerns, Ismaya Live public relations and media relations officer Kevin Wiyarnanda said, “Everyone has the right to express their opinion.”
“The 2019 Djakarta Warehouse Project is ready to welcome music lovers from all around the world, starting Friday until Sunday. We hope that the 11th DWP will go well — safely and orderly — and according to the laws of Indonesia,” he told The Jakarta Post via text message on Friday.
Wahid Foundation executive director Mujtaba Hamdi said the Jakarta administration must be fair in handling the demands of the public. As long as the DWP or other similar events do not violate people’s rights and pass permit requirements, the administration can’t just dismiss them, he added.
“Conducting a cultural event is also a right that is protected by the Constitution.” (ydp/hpw)
