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Jakarta Post

Bintang Emon and the danger of being funny

Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, June 24, 2020

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Bintang Emon and the danger of being funny

L

aughter is the best medicine they say, but we also know that medicine can have side effects, some pretty harsh and toxic ones in fact.

 

This is what 24-year-old comedian Bintang Emon found when he posted a short video on his Instagram account, expressing his surprise at how you can “accidentally” throw acid on someone’s face. In true comedic fashion, he pointed out that the law of gravity pulls objects downward. So unless the victim was walking  on his hands (unlikely, especially coming out of a mosque after dawn prayers!), no way could the corrosive sulfuric acid have made its way to the victim’s face all on its own.

 

The acid-throwing victim is Novel Baswedan, a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator and former policeman who had been involved in the investigation of several high-profile cases. The incident happened on April 17, 2017, and the perpetrators were Chief Brig. Ronny Bugis and Brig. Rahmat Kadir. The acid caused severe damage to Novel’s left eye, effectively making him blind. His right eye was also affected but still has 50 percent vision. In the long run, doctors say, Novel could go totally blind.

 

The “accidental” nature of the assault was the justification for the judges handing down an absurdly lenient sentence of one year to the attackers. The maximum is 12 years. The final decision is still pending, so let’s hope the sentence will be more just.

 

Emon, like so many netizens, expressed bewilderment at the lenient sentence. Many consider it an embarrassment and proof that the trial was a sham. However, he was also attacked by other netizens, most likely “buzzers”, who accused him of using drugs. Emon got himself tested: He was clean.

 

Bintang Emon said he was just doing what he and many other comedians normally do, to address issues that cause social unrest in a comedic manner, in order to entertain.

 

The Bintang Emon case cannot be seen in isolation but has to be seen in the context of a series of other cases: from the criminalization of Robertus Robert, an academic accused of insulting the military, to the blocking of the internet in Papua, the criminalization of activist Ravio Patra (critical of the government including their handling of the coronavirus pandemic), the criminalization of many other activists and journalists, the hijacking of activists’ social media accounts to digital attacks on recent online discussions, etc.

 

Emon is the person  of the moment. But he comes from a long tradition of comedians involved in social criticism. This is true worldwide, and Indonesia is no exception. At a time when the media is owned by corporations or controlled by the government, maybe we should  turn to comedians as a more reliable source of the truth.

 

Just look at the US, where some consider the satirical Colbert Report a more trustworthy source of political news than mainstream media. In their 2014 book Is Satire Saving Our Nation?: Mockery and American Politics”, S. McClennen and R. Maisel say “satire may be the only way we can save our democracy and strengthen our nation.” A bold claim, but no one is laughing!

 

Could McClennen and Maisel’s statement also apply to Indonesia? We need to have a lot more “fake” news comedy shows, I reckon!

 

Comedy is observational; it’s about getting a different twist on things, and it’s about being serious by being funny. Sometimes it’s about exposing, debunking and telling the truth in a way that only comedians can, and that noncomedians might not dare to do.

 

The reason laughter is said to be the best medicine is also because it has to do with resistance against oppression, injustice, etc. Hey, who knows, if we tell enough coronavirus jokes, it might just be the vaccine we need that so far has eluded us!

 

In his inauguration speech in 2019, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo failed to address human rights issues, corruption eradication and improving law enforcement, focusing instead on economic development.

 

Even two years into his first term as president, his administration has not prioritized civil liberties, apparent in the continued violations of the freedom of expression. This trend has continued until now, prompting organizations like the Southeast Asia Network for Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) to assert that freedom of speech is at the height of a state of emergency in Jokowi’s second term. Hoaxes, also in the name of religion, are rife and exempt from state intervention, but genuine free speech, even of the comedic type, is clamped down on.

 

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Indonesia currently ranks 119 out of 180 countries in the freedom of expression index.

 

The late boxing champion Muhammad Ali is known for being “The Greatest”. But he is also known for being charismatic, and for his witticisms which were as entertaining and stinging as his performance in the ring. This is what he said about comedy, that it’s a “funny way of being serious. My way of joking is to tell the truth.”

 

I totally endorse that. Being funny is about telling the truth, and the truth hurts. It’s not what people want to hear, even though it’s what they need to hear. But all Indonesian regimes and maybe most governments in the world have had a problem with the truth.

 

So all you comedians out there, take a tip from Ali, sock it to them, with your jokes, and your truth!

 

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The author of Julia’s Jihad

 

 

 

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