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TechnoratiJAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia's parliament passed a bill banning pornography Thursday, ignoring opposition from lawmakers and rights groups who worry it will be used to justify attacks on artistic, religious and cultural freedom.
More than 100 legislators stormed out ahead of the vote saying that — while the bill's final version removed contentious clauses regulating dress and social behavior — it went against the country's tradition of diversity.
Ninety percent of Indonesia's 235 million citizens are Muslim, most practicing a moderate form of the faith. But many of its islands have large Christian and Hindu populations and some women in tribal regions, like Papua, still go topless.
A small group of hard-line Islamist parties argued that globalization was chipping away at the country's moral fiber and dusted off an anti-pornography bill originally drafted in 1999.
They were forced to revise it several times, dropping a ban on bikinis at tourist resorts, for instance.
The version that eventually passed Thursday focusses instead on the dissemination of material that contains pornographic images, gestures or even conversations. Violators can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison and fined up to $750,000.
"We're worried it will be used by hard-liners who say they want to control morality," said Baby Jim Aditya, a women's rights activist, noting that the bill allows ordinary people to play a role in preventing pornography. "It could be used to divide communities."
Minister of Religious Affairs Maftuh Basyuni insisted that the bill, which must be signed by the president before taking effect, would protect women and children against exploitation.
Members of two parties — the second-largest Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the smaller Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party, which together have 20 percent of the 550 seats in Parliament — disagreed.
They walked out ahead of the vote in protest.
"The public strongly opposes this bill," Cahyo Kumolo from the PDIP told lawmakers, pointing to street rallies in recent weeks that have drawn thousands. "We don't want to be involved in the process of adopting it into law."
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