Indonesia's participation in beauty pageant unlawful
Indonesia's participation in beauty pageant unlawful
JAKARTA (JP): Any Indonesian women's participation in any
international beauty contest is unlawful, says a senior
government official.
"The government remains consistent in its stance, which is to
prohibit Indonesian women from participating in any international
beauty contest," Secretary to Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare Suyono Yahya said yesterday.
He told a group of Moslem students protesting against an
Indonesian woman's participation in the recent Miss Universe
beauty pageant that her participation was against a 1984 decree
of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Decree No. 0237/U/ 1984 stipulates that any beauty contests
which focus on the rating of parts of the body and beauty are
prohibited.
The 15 students were representing 300 Moslem students who said
the participation of Miss Indonesia Alya Rohali in the Miss
Universe 1996 pageantry has degraded the nation.
"Millions of Indonesian Moslems have been hurt with Alya
Rohali's participation in the Miss Universe pageantry," said the
students. "We, therefore, demand that any form of beauty contest
participation be barred."
Pictures of Alya, a 20-year-old law student from Jakarta, in a
swimsuit alongside other Miss Universe participants have appeared
in a number of newspapers in the last few days.
Suyono told the students that the minister for women's roles
would summon the Yayasan Putri Indonesia, the foundation that
selected Alya last March from among hundreds of contestants, to
explain its decision to send her to the venue.
The foundation stated earlier that it sent Alya as an "active
observer" and not as a participant.
The foundation last year sent Susanti Manuhutu to the Miss
Universe pageantry in Namibia, also as an observer. There was no
controversy then.
The government barred Indonesian women taking part in
international beauty contests in the early 1980s, objecting to
the requirement that participants must appear in swimsuits.
The students demanded an audience with Minister for Women's
Roles Mien Sugandhi, but failed meet her as the minister was in a
meeting of ministers under the coordination of Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas. (imn)