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)