The bans related to themes and speakers
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)