Censorship board rejects monolog VCD<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Everyone, including artists, thought reform
\nwould bring greater freedom of expression. It turns out they were
\nmistaken.<\/p>\n
Butet Kartaredjasa, dubbed the king of the monologue for his
\nrare talent of impersonating the voices of public figures, might
\nbe the first to realize reform has not brought significant change
\nfor artists, including greater freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
Butet -- who has successfully performed in several cities in
\nIndonesia, including Jakarta and Yogyakarta, as well as
\nneighboring Australia -- was unable to release the video compact
\ndisc (VCD) version of his monologue Raja Rimba Jadi Pawang (The
\nKing of the Jungle Becomes a Custodian), which was shot during a
\nlive performance in Yogyakarta in May.<\/p>\n
The VCD was rejected by the film censorship board in a letter
\ndated July 28. The board cited three reasons for rejecting the
\nVCD, including the fear that the performance would cause
\npolitical tension and harm the nation's interests.<\/p>\n
\"It (the rejection) does not make sense at all, especially the
\nreasons. It seems like it's all being made up. It's a real pity.
\nAll this time I was mistaken; I thought there was change here. It
\nturns out the changes were only illusory,\" Butet told The Jakarta
\nPost by phone from his home in Yogyakarta on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Officials from the board could not be reached for comment on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
The VCD was rejected even after the producer, Jakarta-based PT
\nAnugrah D. Sejahtera, revised the work twice.<\/p>\n
Butet said he did not know about the \"requested\" revisions,
\nsaying he was only informed by the producer about the VCD's
\nfailure to pass the censorship board.<\/p>\n
\"I was informed by the producer only after the VCD was turned
\ndown by the board. The producer did not tell me they had to
\nrevise it twice... If I knew that, I would have objected. Why is
\nthere a need for any revisions,\" Butet said.<\/p>\n
The monologue itself focuses on two characters: an old tiger
\nand a cute baby tiger. Through his extraordinary skill of
\nmimicking people's voices -- the underlying strength of all of
\nhis performances -- Butet used the voice of \"he-who-allegedly-
\nhas-handed-over-power\" for the old tiger, and for the baby tiger
\nhe assumed the voice of \"he who was placed on the throne\".<\/p>\n
Butet not only can impersonate President B.J. Habibie's
\nvoices, but also other figures, such as former president Soeharto
\nand House Speaker and former minister of information Harmoko. In
\nthe monologue, it is not difficult to guess that he is
\nimpersonating Soeharto's voice for the old tiger and Habibie's
\nvoice for the baby tiger.<\/p>\n
The first revision to the work occurred in the prologue about
\nAceh. In the prologue, Butet said he would tell the story of
\nanimals who fear humans for various reasons, particularly their
\ninconsistent attitude. He then used Aceh as an example, saying
\nthere was a person who apologized to the Acehnese, but his
\nactions differed from his words.<\/p>\n
Butet was clearly criticizing Habibie, who apologized to the
\nAcehnese for the pain inflicted on them during the 10-year
\nmilitary operation in the province during his one-day trip to
\nAceh in March.<\/p>\n
After the VCD's producer revised the prologue, the censorship
\nboard demanded a second revision.<\/p>\n
The censorship board objected to the use of Angin Mamiri
\n(Breezing Wind), a song from South Sulawesi, as the musical
\naccompaniment to the monologue when the baby tiger takes over the
\nthrone and the old tiger, instead of retiring into a mountain
\ncave to live out its old age, became the custodian of the animal
\nworld.<\/p>\n
Habibie is a native of South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Butet said the VCD's release was intended to, among other
\nthings, raise people's critical analysis and appreciation of art,
\nwhile at the same time introducing his work to a wider audience.<\/p>\n
\"With the banning, it means that the public is losing their
\nright and freedom to get information. In this case, they are
\nlosing information that would enrich their minds; a function
\nprovided by art,\" Butet said.<\/p>\n
He also said the banning would hurt the government's image and
\nreveal a lack of coordination within the government, particularly
\nthe Ministry of Information.<\/p>\n
\"I see that the minister of information is working hard to
\nimprove freedom of expression, but why are the ministry's
\nofficials acting like this,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Information Yunus Yosfiah told reporters on
\nWednesday he knew nothing about the ban and promised to check up
\non the matter.<\/p>\n
The banning of art works -- ranging from theatrical
\nperformances, poetry readings and fine art exhibitions -- were a
\ncommon occurrence during the Soeharto administration.<\/p>\n
During the New Order era, many artists had to compromise their
\nwork through self-censorship. There were, however, those who
\nrefused to do this and saw their works banned for reasons which
\nremained unclear.<\/p>\n
Teater Koma's production of Sam Pek Eng Tay (1989) was
\nsuccessfully performed in Jakarta, but banned in Medan, North
\nSumatra, for the reason that the play supposedly exploited
\nChinese culture, which was not in line with the nation's State
\nPolicy Guidelines. Two other performances by the group, Suksesi
\n(Succession) and Opera Kecoa (The Cockroach Opera), were also
\nbanned, this time for their satirical content.<\/p>\n
Marsinah Menggugat (Marsinah Accuses), a play about the life
\nof slain labor activist Marsinah by playwright Ratna Sarumpaet
\nand her Satu Merah Panggung theater group, was banned in Bandung,
\nSurabaya and Lampung, although it was successfully staged in
\nseveral cities, including Jakarta.<\/p>\n
For Butet, the ban will not personally affect him or his
\ncreativity process.<\/p>\n
\"It's fine with me. The ban does not directly touch my work or
\nme. It is true they're restricting the socialization of my art
\nworks, but it will not have any impact on my creativity at all.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, the ban will boost my creativity, my spirit. It's
\nlike old times, when we were playing hide-and-seek with the
\nauthorities. Besides, I also want to find out and test what this
\nfreedom is that has been talked about all this time.\" (ste)<\/p>",
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