The controversial story on Inul just another absurdity<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
\nsima@thejakartapost.com<\/p>\n
This year's news maker must be dangdut singer Inul Daratista.
\nShe appears in all media, from gossip tabloids and televisions to
\nrespected newspapers and magazines, including some foreign ones.
\nSome must be fed up with the stories. Why Inul? Aren't there any
\nmore important issue to write about?<\/p>\n
But this is actually not just about a 24-year-old woman who
\nmade it to the top with her sizzling hip dance movements -- known
\nas \"drilling\". This is a reflection of our society.<\/p>\n
Inul is condemned for her \"dirty dancing\". Her style is said
\nto be too hot for Indonesians. On stage, she gyrates her hips,
\nfaster and faster, energetically. On top of that, she turns
\naround and bares her behind to the audience, which receives
\nclose-up treatment by television cameras.<\/p>\n
She is considered ill-mannered, unethical and her style is
\ncategorized by some as porn, which would surely degrade the moral
\nvalues of the nation. Therefore, she should be stopped.<\/p>\n
In February, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) issued an
\nedict against her; but this was only free publicity for Inul and
\nshe became even more well-known. She refused to change her style,
\nsaying that she just wanted to be herself.<\/p>\n
Just late last month, she took another blow. This time, it was
\nDangdut King Rhoma Irama who, at a press conference, called on a
\nvirtual ban on Inul. He condemned Inul for her erotic movements.
\nWith harsh words, he firmly stated that Inul had not only
\ncontaminated dangdut -- the musical genre blending Indian and
\nMalay influences -- but also the morality of the nation.<\/p>\n
In particular, he said that there was a case in which a man
\nconfessed that he raped a woman because he was aroused after
\nwatching Inul on VCD.<\/p>\n
Many opposed Rhoma, saying he was, in effect, curbing freedom
\nof expression, which had long been suppressed until Soeharto's
\ndownfall in 1997. During the Soeharto era, a number of critical
\nperformances were banned, including Teater Koma's Suksesi
\n(Succession), a satire about the issue of succession in the
\ngovernment, and Ratna Sarumpaet's Marsinah, a story about a
\nfactory worker and labor activist who was mysteriously killed
\nafter she staged a protest demanding better welfare for workers.
\nWiji Tukul, a poet, went missing not long after he read his poem
\nwith the famous line hanya satu kata: lawan! (just one word:
\nfight!), which was often quoted during the protests demanding
\nthat Soeharto step down.<\/p>\n
With the fall of Soeharto, the door to freedom of expression
\nswung open. Not only were journalists now free to express
\nthemselves, but tabloids with erotic photographs also hit the
\nstreets. More graphic violence is shown on television, especially
\nin crime reports.<\/p>\n
On stage, there are more \"daring\" shows, like stripteases and
\neven live sex shows, although most are shown in private.<\/p>\n
Hard-core sex VCDs are also widely available on the market. A
\nnumber of raids have been conducted, but they have never been
\neffective -- it is an open secret that the business is backed by
\nthe law enforcers themselves.<\/p>\n
These VCDs are of course, pirated. And just like them, Inul's
\nVCDs are also pirated because Inul has never released videos of
\nher shows. It is estimated that several million copies of her
\nVCDs have been sold.<\/p>\n
If the reports that Inul's dancing led to rape could be
\nbelieved, should Inul be punished because there are men out there
\nwho cannot control their dirty, sick minds and so fulfill their
\nlust by resorting to crime?<\/p>\n
Women activists underlined that Inul should not be blamed for
\nthe rape case.<\/p>\n
\"The increase of rape cases and violence against women is
\nbecause of the inability of the legal system to protect women,\"
\nSaparinah Sadli of the National Commission of Women said in a
\nstatement read last week.<\/p>\n
\"The accusation that the way Inul expresses herself triggered
\na rape case is baseless and misleading,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The condemnation against Inul and the call to ban her was not
\nonly an authoritarian and arbitrary reaction, but also an act to
\nstupefy the people, she continued. This, she said, is a violation
\nof human rights.<\/p>\n
Pointing the finger at Inul for being the cause of rape is
\nindeed absurd. But absurdity is quite common here. For example,
\nhow can a respectable House of Representatives be led by a man
\nwho has been convicted of abusing his power in connection with a
\ngraft case involving Rp 40 billion? And where else can you find a
\ncentral bank headed by a man who has also been convicted for
\nabusing the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support funds? (In the
\nlatter case, however, it should be mentioned that the conviction
\nwas overturned by the Supreme Court and the defendant acquitted.)<\/p>\n
It is also absurd that the perpetrators of the May riots in
\n1998 still remain free -- the riots which, according to official
\nfindings, resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people and the
\nrape of 66 women. Others were sexually harassed.<\/p>\n
The failure of the legal system to protect women, as Sadli
\nstated, has indeed led to many cases of violence against women,
\nfrom sexual harassment to domestic violence. Many still believe
\nthat domestic violence is a private affair and something that
\nshould not be taken to court. In sexual abuse cases, some
\ninsensitive investigators often joke of the possibility of the
\nvictims enjoying the rape.<\/p>\n
Therefore, saying that violence against women has much to do
\nwith Inul, is like saying that corruption is on the rise because
\nof media reports on how the culprits abuse the money. And we can
\neasily say that Jakarta is hit by floods because of the poor
\npeople who live along the riverbanks, without taking into
\nconsideration unsustainable development activities, such as the
\nuncontrolled construction of housing complexes, malls and
\nbusiness centers.<\/p>\n
Maybe we should also be blamed for the floods, as we Jakarta
\nresidents also enjoy living in our posh neighborhoods, sipping
\ncoffee at our favorite cafe in our favorite shopping mall, and
\nworking in a skyscraper on the city's main thoroughfare.<\/p>\n
So, welcome to our absurd city!<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-controversial-story-on-inul-just-another-absurdity-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }