The morality police must face up to reality

Imam Cahyono, Contributor/Jakarta

The controversy over Buruan Cium Gue (Kiss Me Quick) is still an evolving polemic even though the film, under its original title, has been pulled from circulation.

It's a paradox that a film of rather dubious artistic merit has gained such overnight notoriety, mainly because of its controversial title.

On one side are those who condemn the movie, citing its potential to cause "societal unrest" and "disrupt public order".

Propelled by our paragons of virtue, the leader of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Din Syamsuddin and well-known cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar (Aa Gym), the film has been painted as a vehicle to corrupt youth with all manner of carnal thoughts.

But all the uproar is actually about the title (the film is set to be rereleased under a new, less offensive title and with some editing).

As far as Aa Gym is concerned, the title might as well have been the far more alarming Buruan Zinahi Gue (Hurry up and Commit Adultery With Me). He also criticized the gue (me) generation as more preoccupied with sex compared to previous generations, as if sexual thoughts could somehow be quantitatively measured.

The act of kissing, in his opinion, encourages premarital sex. He acknowledged he had never seen the movie, but came to the conclusion that it was disrespectful, provocative, uneducational and erotic after hearing about it.

We understand the way religious leaders like Aa Gym and Din think. They are clear in their view that there is no black and white -- it's just white for them. They have millions of people who understand their way of thinking, but a film like this gets in the way of their societal view.

It's true that the film also shares the three common characteristics of shoddy local TV soaps: The handsome male stars, equally gorgeous actresses and their glamorous lives, latter day princes and princess living in their ivory towers far from the reality of life for most Indonesians.

But the opponents are not having it all their own way. There are other members of the public who reject the ban, believing the reaction is immature and reflects an ultraconservative viewpoint.

They see it as a kneejerk reaction to the title alone, while there was no such outcry regarding last year's Arisan (Get Together), which included a same-sex kiss.

Actually, the film also has a positive message for audiences, and redeeming social value in commenting on society today.

What is shown in this film is just a small part of that reality, but it's still the reality of life. In this case, it's the life of young people, the lifestyle of some middle-class urban teens. It is not saying all young people behave like that.

Making a heartwarming film bout the good of young people would not have much effect on those young people. But a film allows society to look at itself.

So, it could be said that the positive message of this film is to tell parents not to believe in their children's sweet talk about what they are up to. Parents should try to be introspective, to really see and question their children about their activities.

Obviously, the slightly salacious title was meant to attract an audience amid the tight competition in the film industry. But the film really has little to do with the act of kissing (it's only shown at the end).

But kissing is part of the film and its title because they want to explain to viewers what is happening in society. It's not a how-to; it's not kiss my cheeks quick, for example, or kiss my private parts quick.

And, there is also the question why Arisan or Eiffel I'm in Love, which also had a kissing scene but without anything mentioned in their title, have not received similar condemnation.

If we want to be a moralist, to think, write or speak about matters of right or wrong, we cannot disregard the facts to suit ourselves. We should not close our eyes to the reality of life around us.

Morality and moral teaching should be used as the lesson to teach the corrupt officials and unscrupulous politicians who have prospered in society.

If we refuse to face facts, we become trapped in hypocrisy, pretending to be pious and virtuous without really being so.

When we ignore life around us, however ugly or objectionable it may be to our personal beliefs, we are hypocrites, making our own reality in the land where people have two faces.

The writer is a researcher at the Muhammadiyah Institute for Grassroots Empowerment and an activist at the Youth Muhammadiyah for Intellectuals Networks.