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Jakarta, 9 Dec. (AKI) – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was strongly criticised Tuesday after signing an anti-pornography law which opponents claim threatens national unity.
The law, backed by Islamic parties in the capital Jakarta, criminalises all works and “bodily movements” considered obscene and provides for heavy penalties.
The law provoked protests across Indonesia with critics saying it could threaten art and traditional culture.
The president signed the law on 26 November but news of his endorsement was released on Tuesday.
“Yudhoyono could have chosen not to sign it because there are still several provinces which strongly oppose the law,” said Eva Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).
“The opposing provinces, such as Papua, Bali, Yogyakarta, North Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara, say that the law threatened their culture and national unity.”
The law, approved by the Parliament at the end of October would have come into effect without the president’s signature.
But experts assert that Yudhoyono’s refusal would have led to a review of the law by the Constitutional Court.
Ethnic minorities, Christian and Hindu organisations, human rights groups and artists have already called for the law to be reviewed, claiming it breaches the constitution.
The text of the new law has been strongly influenced by radical Islamist parties. It appears to be based on a vague definition of ‘pornography’ and its critics fear that it could lead to various interpretations and criminalise the practices of cultural and religious minorities throughout the archipelago.
Indonesia is an archipelago with more than 17,000 islands and 240 million people from 45 ethnic groups who practise all of the world’s major religions. However, more than 85 percent of the country’s inhabitants are Muslim.

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