OnTheShelves

OnTheShelves

JAKARTA UNDERCOVER; Sex 'n the city, Moammar Emka,
Galang Press, Yogyakarta, January 2003, Paperback 486 pages.

Taking Moammar Emka's every word in his book Jakarta Undercover;
Sex 'n the city, as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth, I felt outraged and deeply disturbed, especially in
the ambience of the recent commemoration of International Women's
Day.
How could a fair-minded woman of any creed or race not
shudder when reminded of the practice of regarding women as one
of the commodities in the meat market?
Admitttedly prostitution has been in existence in the
history of mankind since day one, but what Emka compiled in
Jakarta Undercover goes beyond mere prostitution. It reflects a
sick society, where the search for fun and thrills no longer
stops short of cruising the edges; it has to involve power over
somebody else - an invasive power at that.
In his narrative, Emka makes it clear that the places he
visited, with the help of some 'privileged' friends, are not
known or open, to the public. However, he also depicts the places
as choc-a-bloc full when he and his friends were there, which is
likely to be a normal situation.
The source of this concern is not the sex itself. Sex, no
matter how kinky, between consenting adults, should be and
remain, the couple's own business, not anyone else's. The
sordidness starts when the key of that consent is held by a third
party, with money involved. Even that, at first glance, offers
nothing new.
It is not the newness of the 'trade' which is in question
here. It is the proliferation of the increasingly novel sexual
acts which carry exorbitant price tags; it is the propagation of
the idea that women are mere decorations and a mere tool of those
acts; and last but not least, it is the image of man which the
women appear to have gained, as a brainless and emotionless body
with a big wallet attached, next to an ever-thirsting-for-weird-
thrills-underbelly.
Has the dumbing down of our young women and young men
reached such a scary stage?
There is a scene where, after making a choice of women
escorts, Emka wonders whether those who were not chosen, feel
disappointed. But his concern is dismissed by his friend, who
says, 'Don't be awkward and emotional. This is a business
transaction. Nothing more nothing less.'
This is an example of impersonalising the personal. The
pretty young women Emka interviewed for his book were living in
relative luxury, because they knew how to make a man with well-
padded wallet part with its contents, and part quickly. One man
related to Emka how many of the women he had hired to perform
some outlandish acts became so impatient to have sex with him.
The poor man was obviously under the illusion that he was too
irresistible for these women, while very likely the said women
just wanted to have it over and done with before they could no
longer stand the tedium, and move on to the next client, who
might give bigger tips.
The association with the meat market is not so ridiculous
when one of the acts is to have a nude gyrating female body on a
table as a dish for some men's sashimi meal. This, done one-to-
one between lovers might give a great deal of pleasure, but the
idea of a number of men lustfully eating off one nude female body
who has to move suggestively to earn big tips, does not in the
best of times, conjure an image of dignity or pleasure for the
owner of the body. To the men, she is just a means to find the
pleasure, to be then discarded and forgotten. To the woman, the
men are a source of of their nightly income, to be endured, if
necessary after numbing their senses.
Since an effective way of stopping these practices
without impinging on people's civil liberty has not yet been
found, one can only hope that they can be contained to a small
circle of the moneyed few. After all, presumably not everybody
who theoretically can afford them, indulge in them. Most
importantly, let us hope that the practices do not develop
further into the use of violence on those hired to please their
clients.
In his book Emka also touches on other subjects, such as
the sexual exploitation of good-looking young men by rich but
lonely middle-aged women, which he does not elaborate, therefore
giving the impression that it is not such a widespread practice.
The marginalisation of gay communities was also discussed in one
chapter.
The book, while entertaining to a degree, should send
alarm signals to fair residents of Jakarta. Their city has become
a magnet attracting thrill seekers who have more money and
testosterone than sense. Sensibility? Forget it!

Dewi Anggraeni