Excesses of Bali bombing VCD

Excesses of Bali bombing VCD

From Republika

The screening of a VCD revealing a person identified as one of
the perpetrators of the latest Bail bombings at the residence of
Vice President Jusuf Kalla to ulama from various Islamic groups
in Indonesia will produce a multiple of effects.

On the one hand, the move was meant to convey information to
ulamas as persons knowledgeable about the Islamic religion, in
order to witness the impact of the misinterpretation of jihad
(holy war) that leads to acts of terrorism in the name of a
religion.

However, further examination indicates that by inviting ulamas
as well as the media, the showing of the video will have negative
effects. The media will disseminate the news intensively and
explicitly without any comprehensive explanation about the
perpetrator's action that are depicted in the VCD.

Chief spokesman for the National Police Aryanto Budiharjo even
said that the police would not be responsible for the excesses
that might arise as a result of the VCD screening.

One indication of the negative impact is the public hunt for
copies of the VCD -- in this case, pirated versions of the news
broadcasts. The public will therefore be directly consuming this
material without adequate understanding or explanation.

Therefore, the government should take preventive measures to
ensure that no further negative consequences follow as a result
of the release of these images into the public domain.

NABIL AHMAD FAUZI
Jakarta