By now all of you will have heard or seen in the media about a new bill designed to define pornography that is currently being scrutinised and debated upon in the Indonesian Parliament. It (the Bill) is basically to set a moral tone across the mainly Muslim archipelago of Indonesia. It doesn’t look good for Bali and already the Balinese are up in arms over the new pornography bill which some say threatens Hindu traditions and furthermore, the money-spinning bikini-clad tourism sector. It is a complex Bill and is expected to be passed in a matter of weeks and this will subsequently criminalise all public acts and material capable of raising sexual desires or violating “community morality,” ( that’s stops me sunbaking nude on the beach!). The stupid thing about this Bill is it will include poetry and music. This of course leads to the ban on publications of offensive material (I think they mean pornographic or soft-core material) all of which you can buy in any gang or back street in Denpasar (or, so I am told), poetry that has words with a sexual overtone that incites the male member to ‘rise to the occasion’, and, if you are in a rock band then instead of using the word ‘fuck’ you will have to replace it with ‘fruit flies’.
Of course there will be no more walking down the street in a bikini top and sarong for women and definitely no bare-chested males displaying their pectorals and or ribs. It will also mean that ladies there will be no sunbathing in your bikini on the beaches or taking off your top to get your mammaries suntanned. And then we have art galleries that will not be allowed to display paintings with any form of nudity. The list goes on and on…and on. So what is next? Who will enforce this Bill on Bali? Maybe the ‘horny’ police squad!
Photo: Peter Ptschelinzew/Lonely Planet
