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)