15 NGOs establish new antiporn society

15 NGOs establish new antiporn society

JAKARTA (JP): Fifteen nongovernmental organizations founded
the Anti-Pornographic Society (MTP) on Wednesday in an effort to
curb pornographic images in the media.

The organization was formed by, among others, the National
Indonesian Youth Committee (KNPI), Center of Law Advocacy and
Human Rights (PAHAM), Indonesian Muslim Student Action Front
(KAMMI) and the Media Watch and Consumer Center (MWCC).

MTP board member, film director Chaerul Umam, said that
pornography in the print and electronic media had reached an
alarming level.

"I can't even watch TV with my kids without feeling awkward
when commercials with pornographic scenes are shown," Chaerul
told The Jakarta Post.

Other members of MTP's board include political observer Imam
B. Prasodjo and TV host Ferrasta Soebardi, popularly known as
Pepeng.

The country, especially the capital, has witnessed an
increasing amount of publications that feature semipornographic
pictures and stories.

The South Jakarta District Court last month sentenced chief
editor of Matra monthly, Robertus Riantiarno, to a five-month
suspended jail term for publishing semipornographic pictures in
its June and July editions last year.

Many other publications, however -- particularly tabloids --
continue to run far more potentially offensive pictures and
stories, which flood newsstands in the city without any
significant action from the authorities.

MTP secretary Azimah Sobagjo said the organization had already
made a detailed plan to launch its mission, which includes a
proposal to draft an antipornography law.

"The draft requires, among other things, a clear definition on
materials that are (legally) considered pornographic," Azimah
told the Post.

She said that in her view all materials capable of inducing
sexual arousal should be considered as pornography.

In its statement, MTP also complained about the "true" first-
person accounts of rape victims in some media, saying that they
were solely intended to arouse readers.

MTP chairwoman Nur Indrawati Pari said that her new
organization was ready to file complaints to the publishers of
magazines and newspapers that feature pornography.

"We are also ready to launch a campaign to mold public opinion
against pornography," Nur said.

Another antipornography association, the Indonesian Society
Against Piracy and Pornography (MAPPI), was launched on Jan. 24.

The organization is chaired by Abdul Wahid Aziz Bisri, who is
also chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Jami'a Nahdlatul
Ulama Muslim organization and a cousin of President Abdurrahman
Wahid.(08)