Jokes have their limits: Moerdiono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Refrain from making religious or ethnic jokes,
\nhowever funny they may be, because they could be fatal for the
\nnation.<\/p>\n
This warning was served on comedians by Minister\/State
\nSecretary Moerdiono who said that such jokes would be divisive to
\nthe unity and cohesion of the nation, according to the Antara
\nnews agency.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono was guest speaker at a gathering of some 400 local
\ncomedians in Jakarta on Monday night. "We mustn't be overtly
\nimpressed by western values," he said, stressing that comedians
\nmust always observe the ethics and norms of eastern people.<\/p>\n
"Don't ever pick for your joke materials issues relating to
\nour religion or beliefs."<\/p>\n
Moerdiono stressed that jokes must avoid the four taboos,
\nknown by the Indonesian abbreviation SARA, which are also
\napplicable to the media industry. The four letters stand for
\nethnicity, religion, race and societal groups.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, Moerdiono has made a number of appearances
\nat various art and cultural performances, often taking the stage
\nto contribute a song or two. This time, however, he refrained
\nfrom telling jokes to the audience. This did not mean that he
\ndidn't appreciate one. "For me, a high strung society could
\nalways do with fresh jokes. It is the duty of the comedians to
\nexpose the ridicule and weaknesses of society."<\/p>\n
Moerdiono also gave a pointer on how comedians could indulge
\nin social critiques. They should be given with subtlety, taking
\ninto consideration the eastern customs, he said. (emb)<\/p>",
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