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