Yesterday's rant (see post) on the camaraderie of all breeds of religious extremism was actually a response, though an indirect one, to the advancement of a bill in the Indonesian Congress that would criminalize extramarital sex relations as well as homosexuality in general and same sex marriage in particular. Moreover, the same bill would prohibit "attacks on the dignity of the president and the vice president" and "insults toward the legitimate government." I imagine Donald would love that part, right?
The bill has been temporarily "delayed" by President Joko Widodo in response to protests; nonetheless, it is expected to pass. At the same time, a separate bill which weakens the Corruption Eradication Commission, an institution that has stood since the Reform movement began, was passed by the congress. So, I guess the message is that laws curtailing the freedoms of citizens should be strengthened while laws meant to control governmental sins such as corruption should be weakened. Again, I can think of a certain American who would love this.
This is all quite disappointing for Indonesian citizens who elected Jokowi to the office of president because he seemed at the outset a champion of reform and progressive ideology, someone who would actually fit into the world of sane political leaders and lift the perception of Indonesia itself as a peaceful, politically, socially, and religiously moderate nation.
But there's a lot of this going around, isn't there? Perhaps it is but the last gasp of repressive, dictatorial inclinations, an echo of the bad old 30's and 40's which gave us Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo; Nazism, Fascism, and Communism.
We can hope so.
The bill has been temporarily "delayed" by President Joko Widodo in response to protests; nonetheless, it is expected to pass. At the same time, a separate bill which weakens the Corruption Eradication Commission, an institution that has stood since the Reform movement began, was passed by the congress. So, I guess the message is that laws curtailing the freedoms of citizens should be strengthened while laws meant to control governmental sins such as corruption should be weakened. Again, I can think of a certain American who would love this.
This is all quite disappointing for Indonesian citizens who elected Jokowi to the office of president because he seemed at the outset a champion of reform and progressive ideology, someone who would actually fit into the world of sane political leaders and lift the perception of Indonesia itself as a peaceful, politically, socially, and religiously moderate nation.
But there's a lot of this going around, isn't there? Perhaps it is but the last gasp of repressive, dictatorial inclinations, an echo of the bad old 30's and 40's which gave us Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo; Nazism, Fascism, and Communism.
We can hope so.
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