City directorate denies banning workers' play

City directorate denies banning workers' play

JAKARTA (JP): The head of the city directorate of social and
political affairs, Bagus Suharyono, denied yesterday accusations
that he had banned a performance of a play produced by the Teater
Buruh Indonesia (Indonesian Workers' Theater Group).

The group has filed a lawsuit against Bagus, whom they accuse
of slapping a ban on the performance of the play.

"They should have filed a lawsuit against a party other than
the city directorate of social and political affairs of the
ministry of home affairs," said Bagus in a written defense
statement read by his lawyer Aleston Tambunan. He did not,
however, specify who "another party" might be.

Tambunan told Judge Benyamin Mangkoedilaga at the Jakarta
State Administration Court that the defendant's letter Number
360/78.6, issued on May 16, 1995, was merely information about
the decisions of a meeting discussing the plaintiff's application
to secure a permit to stage the play. "Up to now the defendant
has neither rejected nor accepted the application."

The theater group, whose members are workers from various
factories in and around Jakarta, filed the lawsuit against the
head of the city directorate of social and political affairs for
allegedly banning a planned performance of a play by the group
last month.

The city directorate of social and political affairs of the
ministry of home affairs has refused to issue a recommendation
letter for the staging of the play on the grounds that it could
spark social unrest. It has also said that the word buruh
(laborer) used in some of the play's dialog was unacceptable
because it had been used by the outlawed Indonesian Communist
Party in its propaganda prior to the l965 abortive communist
coup.

The play, entitled Senandung Terpuruk dari Balik Tembok Pabrik
(Miserable Symphony from behind the Factory Walls), describes the
misery of highly exploited, poorly-paid Indonesian workers.

Under the existing regulations, any cultural performance must
obtain a permit from the city police, who issue permits after
receiving recommendations from other agencies, including the city
directorate of social and political affairs, the city office of
cultural affairs, and the city tourism office.

The organizers of the performance had obtained letters of
recommendation from the city office of cultural affairs and the
city tourism office. The city police, meanwhile, were reportedly
ready to issue a permit, provided that the organizers had secured
a letter of recommendation from the city directorate of social
and political affairs of the ministry of home affairs.

However, the organizers, through their lawyer Pardomuan
Simanjuntak, claim that when they asked for the letter from the
agency, Bagus told them that he needed to hold a coordination
meeting with related offices before making a decision on the
matter.

After the meeting, Pardomuan said the head of the directorate
of social and political affairs sent a letter to the organizers
demanding that they change the plot of the play as well as the
name of the group and the title of the play. The letter also
stated that the recommendation letters issued by the city office
of cultural affairs and the city tourism office were invalid.(29)