An Indonesian Blogger Investigated by Police

Posted on August 31, 2007
Filed Under Blogger Indonesia, Culture

An Indonesian blogger of Yogyakarta has been investigated by police because he has posted the Indonesian President SBY picture along with the picture of the currently hottest controversial scandal of Bambang Trihatmojo (son of former President Suharto) & Mayangsari, a popular pop singer as reported by Detik.Com today.
Photo: Engineered picture by Herman Saksono, Yogya Blogger

The police calls Herman Saksono the blog owner who manipulates the Bambang-Mayangsari picture into Bambang-SBY.

The police argues that such engineered picture could be regarded as blasphemy against the President.

For me, the Yogyakarta police action could never been more ridiculous and moron. Moreover, the context in which Herman manipulates the picture is to prove that the Bambang-Mayangsari hot picture was purely a hoax.

Even if Herman did intentionally want to “insult” the Indonesian president, it’s still undemocratic to call him into the police office. The Yogyakarta Police act has set a very bad precedent against the freedom of expression in this country. The security apparatus should and need to look up to other already-established-democratic system like the US, UK and even India where even an explicit insult (in the form of picture, cartoon or words) to the head of state is regarded as part of civil society live.

Let me make clear on this: the police forces should put their hands off any creativity, expression or whatever expressed by the Indonesian citizens in whatever forms. The head of police in Jakarta should train and brief their forces to learn and implement what democratic values really mean.

The president himself during his visit to New Delhi recently has reiterated the importance of democracy and democratic values with all its consequences. If the president really means what he said, he should recall the yogya police and give them a lesson or two.

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