Bagito regrets president-bashing<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian entertainers may start to limit their
\nrecent habits of mocking the country's number one person as they
\nrampantly used to do during the tenure of former president B.J.
\nHabibie.<\/p>\n
Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) leader Noer Iskandar told three members
\nof the noted comedy group Bagito on Sunday to exercise self-
\ncontrol following their slanderous impostoring of President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid during a regular entertainment program
\nbroadcast live by the private TV station Indosiar on Saturday
\nnight.<\/p>\n
\"As NU members, Bagito should be more careful in performing
\ntheir shows,\" Iskandar said during a meeting with the trio of
\ncomedians at the NU office in Central Jakarta. He suggested that
\nthe group move on with their career.<\/p>\n
He said Abdurrahman, who chairs the 30 million-strong NU, knew
\nabout the show and had forgiven the comedians, who comprise
\nZainal Abidin (Didin), Hadi Prabowo (Unang), and Dedy Gumelar
\n(Miing).<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, was still in Bali on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Iskandar also called on all NU members to stay cool.<\/p>\n
The trio of comedians announced their apology not long after
\nthe show.<\/p>\n
\"We apologize to KH Abdurrahman Wahid and all Indonesian
\ncitizens about our impropriety in mimicking the president's
\nphysical condition,\" Indosiar manager Jilal Mardhani said on
\nbehalf of the comedians in a televised apology a few hours after
\nthe show.<\/p>\n
The comedians said such a slanderous performance should not
\nhappen again.<\/p>\n
\"Merdeka Palace did not complain about it, but we received a
\nflurry of protests from people, including NU members,\" Miing
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Chairman of NU Jakarta's chapter, Abdul Wahid Aziz Bisri, and
\ncoordinator of NU militia group Banser, Abdul Haris Sumby, joined
\nthe comedy group in the apology.<\/p>\n
\"I know for sure that the president was not angry about this,
\nbut mocking the physical condition of our national leader is
\noutrageously inappropriate,\" Bisri said directly to the
\ncomedians.<\/p>\n
Sumby said that NU members were upset by the incident but they
\nwould exercise their restraint because the President had forgiven
\nand forgotten the incident.<\/p>\n
Indosiar director Sutomo Sutardjo repeatedly announced his
\napology to the audience minutes after the scene, but a flurry of
\ntelephone calls condemning the show kept coming in.<\/p>\n
Mocking the President and former president has become a
\nfavorite entertainment for the public since the fall of former
\npresident Soeharto last year.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General Office banned a monologue VCD by noted
\nimpersonator Butet Kertaredjasa entitled \"King of the Jungle
\nTurned Custodian\" (Raja Rimba Jadi Pawang) in August. In many of
\nhis performances, Butet impersonated both Soeharto and Habibie,
\nbut he has never been admonished or questioned by the police.
\n(04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bagito-regrets-president-bashing-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}