The bans related to themes and speakers

JAKARTA (JP): Many academic gatherings and cultural activities have been broken up. The most frequent reason for closing the meeting is that permission from the police and the other necessary licenses from a multitude of government agencies have not been obtained. Time, however, has shown that bans are related to the theme of the gatherings and the speakers invited. Some seminars, discussions and informal meetings were stopped because they featured sensitive issues and outspoken figures. Here are a number of examples:

* The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation had a seminar entitled Pluralisme Hukum Pertanahan di Indonesia, (The Pluralism of Agrarian Law in Indonesia), at the PKBI building in South Jakarta broken up by police in September, l994.

* The Indonesian Forum for Environment and The Indonesian Anti- Nuclear Society failed to hold a discussion to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear incident at the Bulungan youth center in South Jakarta last April. The organizer was unable to obtain permits for both the discussion and photo exhibition.

* A discussion on human rights entitled Hak Asasi Manusia dalam Perspektif bangsa Indonesia, (Human Rights Within the Perspective of the Indonesian People), was canceled by several police officers from the Menteng police precinct in Central Jakarta, again for lack of a permit. A large number of guests had already crowded the Indonesian Moslem Intellectual Association (ICMI) office on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, but when noted speakers T. Mulya Lubis and Aswab Mahasin were about to deliver their papers, several police officers stopped the meeting. A source from ICMI said the organization has frequently held various discussions without obtaining a permit and the meetings ran smoothly. "Maybe, the police did not know about those meetings so they did not stop them," the source speculated.

* On 11 June, l995, vocal playwright/poet Emha Ainun Nadjib was banned from speaking before 600 Moslem teenagers at Galeri Nusa Dua Mosque in Denpasar, Bali, for lacking permits from the provincial administration. Emha failed to appear at the planned discussion although he already obtained the necessary permits. Dozens of security officials loitered around the mosque. When the organizer, Andi Mochamad Siddiq, found out the event had been banned he fainted.

* Abdurachman Wahid, or Gus Dur, was not allowed to deliver a speech before hundreds of Moslems at Al Fattah Pesantren in Lamongan, East Java in the middle of June. The meeting was to commemorate the death of the pesantren chairman KH Abdul Fattah. According to a reliable source, it was suspected that Gus Dur was going to deliver a speech critical of the government's industrialization plan in Lamongan and its surrounding areas.

* Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first President and the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party was also prohibited from addressing hundreds of Sukarnoists during the tahlilan commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Sukarno's death, in Blitar, East Java. The religious meeting was taken over by the East Java provincial administration. The East Java Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Imam Oetomo, even warned the organizer that, "there will be no speech or political talk in the meeting." Minister of Home affairs Moch. Yogie S. Memet reasoned that the take over was merely to ensure an orderly meeting.

* R. Willem Liddle, a noted political analyst and also an expert on Indonesian politics from the Ohio State University and chairman of the Jakarta State Administrative Court Benyamin Mangkoedilaga were deterred from appearing at the Perspektif talk show run by television station SCTV for unclear reasons, But, their appearance at the talk show, hosted by former student activist Wimar Witoelar, was finally aired by the TV station which said there had been technical problems

* In May, the ruling political group, Golkar, urged the police to revoke a permit for the performance of 36-year-old La Toya Jackson on the grounds that her attitude is at odds with the local culture. La Toya, the sister of mega-star Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, was scheduled to perform in Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. The planned shows, organized by PT Buena Production, were canceled, causing a loss of about US$56,000 to the company. The strongest objection to La Toya's visit came from the powerful Golkar political faction and was the first entertainment activity to be banned.

The break up and banning of various gatherings has encouraged some organizers to defend their right to assembly. A number of organizations took their cases to court:

* The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation filed a lawsuit against the South Jakarta police for abruptly dispersing a seminar on land disputes. The defendants also held the government and its related agencies responsible for the banning. In the suit filed with the South Jakarta District Court, the foundation demanded that the police issue a public apology through the local newspapers for their actions. The foundation also asked the police to pay Rp 100 (US$.23) in restitution.

* The Indonesian Workers Theater Group filed a lawsuit against Bagus Suharyono, chief of the Jakarta's Directorate of Social and Political Affairs, for banning a performance in June. The group was scheduled to stage a play called Senandung Terpuruk dari Tembok Pabrik (Miserable Symphony from Behind the Factory Wall), describing the misery of highly exploited and poorly paid Indonesian laborers. Bagus refused to give his recommendation for the play on the grounds that it could spark social unrest. He also stated his objection to the use of the word buruh (labor) in the play's dialog because the term had been used by the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party.

Some groups have lost their cases, while others are still fighting for their rights, proving that there has been an improvement in public awareness of their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of association. Now the government must recognize the demand. (raw)