A matter of character
Dessy Noer Thaher's letter in the July 8 edition of The Jakarta Post, which was picked up from Media Indonesia, is a good one. It was especially interesting because on page 7 of the same edition there was a picture of a foreign artist doing a body painting, and the woman model was bare-breasted.
On the controversial Matra magazine cover, model Ineke Koesherawaty was covering her breasts with her arms. Sophia Latjuba used the same gesture a while ago. Thus, is it the Post which is guilty of using hard-core pornography?
Dessy is right in saying that there is confusion about pornography. If she goes deep into villages in Bali, the women walk around with bare torsos like 60 years ago. So do the Dayaks in their region, and one finds the same thing in Irian Jaya. I mentioned the koteka (penis sheath) some time ago, which exposes 60 percent of the male organ.
The people involved in drawing up the legal definition of pornography indeed have to do their reformative homework, including to define what is vulgar, etc., and what should be forbidden.
Recently in Western Europe, I saw newsstands' shelves filled with magazines featuring nude photographs, at least half a dozen at a place, plus several more explicit heterosexual and homosexual publications. Of course, there also were the sex shops.
It is like cars, clothing or sailboats, just another commodity to attract people to buy.
Our moral watchers, including the legislative body, must come up with something encompassing the people living deep in our forests, the rural areas and urban population of all incomes, ages and religions. The distinct voices now are those of prudent and conservative groups because they are the ones outraged. It is like in a neighborhood where we have to consider our neighbors when increasing the volume of our radio or television.
It is thus a matter of consensus and understanding each other's views and values. And, of course, importing girlie magazines is like fast food, clothing, expensive cars, alcohol, karaoke, striptease, cigarettes and makeup. We are copying these "imported" lifestyles and making money which is highly disputable and risky, consumptive for the sake of showing off and being "classy", according to the imported standards of McDonald's, KFC and the malls.
It is due to character, self-confidence, our own philosophy and values, and goals and social fabric. We have to be honest with ourselves: We have not progressed one millimeter since 1966. We are merely aping the white people from Beverly Hills and Las Vegas.
Isn't that what Pancasila is all about?
Y. SANTO
Jakarta