Indonesia Considering a Ban on LGBTQ Content
metroweekly.comReuters. “Indonesia’s Press Law says there must not be any censorship or banning of journalism. So this is contradictory.”The government has not yet received the draft bill, communications minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters.Human rights activists fret that some of the restrictions floated could impede the ability of journalists to do their jobs and may undermine liberties that were gained following the end of the 31-year-long Suharto dictatorship in 1998.While it’s unclear how the ban on investigative reporting might be carried out, journalist advocacy organizations have expressed fears of government censorship.Bayu Wardhana, head of the association of independent journalists, warned that some of the proposed changes could mean that journalists “will no longer be able to reveal important stories, such as on corruption, nepotism and environmental crimes.”Some of the proposals would reportedly ban content displaying violence, mysticism, LGBTQ identities, or “negative behavior or lifestyles that potentially harm the public.”That ban would apply to any and all broadcast stations in Indonesia, as well as online streaming platforms.Filmmaker Joko Anwar described the proposed restrictions as “dangerous” and “impossible” to implement.“The ban on such content not only impedes the creativity of the creative industry, and freedom of the press, but also undermines people’s capacity to filter what they watch,” he said.Lawmakers from Commission 1, which is overseeing the proposed bill, said that the proposals are only in the initial stage and could potentially change in the future.“We don’t want to give the impression that we are homophobic, and monitor excessively,” said Nico Siahaan, a Commission 1 member, adding the final version of the law would be strongly debated before passage.Homosexuality is taboo in Indonesian society, although it technically is not criminalized in the Muslim-majority country.
