Sunday, May 6, 2012 07:07:00
ELIZABETH JACKSON: Punk is not dead, but in Indonesia's Aceh province
it is taking a beating. The authorities there began a crack-down on
punks last year, accusing them of violating the province's code of
Islamic law.
But as our Indonesia correspondent, Matt Brown, reports the anti-punk campaign is not limited to the concert hall.
MATT BROWN: If you carefully time your visit to Aceh, on the far northern tip of Sumatra, you could catch a public caning courtesy of the Sharia police.
A couple of weeks ago, amongst the usual clutch of gamblers, was a couple allegedly caught having sex in public. They were each caned nine times. But what caught my eye wasn't the public humiliation or corporal punishment, it was the fact the pair were dubbed "punks" by the official in charge.
I must admit, I don't know if either of these two had ever heard of the Sex Pistols, or indeed if they were really punks at all. But it's worth noting because the anti-punk purge in Aceh, and the response, captures some of the essential elements of life in Indonesia. It's a sort of soft-pedalled fascism: conservative and violent, without being what the rest of the world would call extremist and at the same time it's vibrant and defiant.
(Music by Citizen Useless plays)
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: : It's hard to be a punk in Aceh/they want to shave your hair
MATT BROWN: Here in Jakarta the band Citizen Useless has taken up the cause.
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: They never listen when we say, 'we don't want to be like you. It's hard to be a punk in Aceh ...
MATT BROWN: The crack-down began in December with police raids on performances in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Of course the TV cameras were in tow.
(Police talking over a megaphone)
In this raid, the punks were searched and forced to sit on the floor. A police intelligence officer brandished a little plastic bag, shouting "is this marijuana?"
The sea of heads was downcast, punctuated by tall orange spikes of hair.
(Police officer speaking)
The officer in charge of the raid declared:
" They claimed they were staging a charity concert for orphans, but they lied! Had we known this was a punk concert we wouldn't have granted them permission."
MATT BROWN: In the face of the ongoing crackdown Indonesians have formed a Facebook support mob.
(Punk music plays)
The nation's rockers have staged gigs under the banner Solidaritas Punk Indonesia.
And, in this wired world, the Punks are not alone, with a bit of lip-service at least coming from as far a field as the Occupy London crowd.
OCCUPY LONDON PROTESTER: We are live people, so on the count of three, it's "Up the Indonesian punks". One, two, three.
OCCUPY LONDON CROWD: Up the Indonesian punks!
OCCUPY LONDON PROTESTER: Love it.
MATT BROWN: It all kicked off last year when the deputy mayor of Bandah Aceh made the punks her whipping boys and girls. And her brother, the police chief, enthusiastically wielded the big stick.
They say the punks are deviants; sloppy dressers who lay about in public, offending the moral values of Aceh's guardians of the Shariah.
When the police rounded up the punks in December, they invited the cameras in again, shaved their heads and detained them for more than a week without charge in a sort of boot camp. They were drilled on the parade ground, abused, dressed in drab uniforms and, in short, humiliated.
Those spouting their own version of Islamist moral values, have the whip hand. But those they've targeted also have a voice and the crackdown has allowed them to cast the struggle in stark relief.
(Music by Citizen Useless plays)
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: We don't want to live in a facist state. We don't wanna do what you say. We just want to live our life and do it our way. It's hard to be a punk in Aceh.
MATT BROWN: Indonesia is in the midst of a long and fascinating transformation. And it's way too soon to say the punks fought the law and the law won.
This is Matt Brown in Jakarta, for Correspondents Report.
But as our Indonesia correspondent, Matt Brown, reports the anti-punk campaign is not limited to the concert hall.
MATT BROWN: If you carefully time your visit to Aceh, on the far northern tip of Sumatra, you could catch a public caning courtesy of the Sharia police.
A couple of weeks ago, amongst the usual clutch of gamblers, was a couple allegedly caught having sex in public. They were each caned nine times. But what caught my eye wasn't the public humiliation or corporal punishment, it was the fact the pair were dubbed "punks" by the official in charge.
I must admit, I don't know if either of these two had ever heard of the Sex Pistols, or indeed if they were really punks at all. But it's worth noting because the anti-punk purge in Aceh, and the response, captures some of the essential elements of life in Indonesia. It's a sort of soft-pedalled fascism: conservative and violent, without being what the rest of the world would call extremist and at the same time it's vibrant and defiant.
(Music by Citizen Useless plays)
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: : It's hard to be a punk in Aceh/they want to shave your hair
MATT BROWN: Here in Jakarta the band Citizen Useless has taken up the cause.
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: They never listen when we say, 'we don't want to be like you. It's hard to be a punk in Aceh ...
MATT BROWN: The crack-down began in December with police raids on performances in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. Of course the TV cameras were in tow.
(Police talking over a megaphone)
In this raid, the punks were searched and forced to sit on the floor. A police intelligence officer brandished a little plastic bag, shouting "is this marijuana?"
The sea of heads was downcast, punctuated by tall orange spikes of hair.
(Police officer speaking)
The officer in charge of the raid declared:
" They claimed they were staging a charity concert for orphans, but they lied! Had we known this was a punk concert we wouldn't have granted them permission."
MATT BROWN: In the face of the ongoing crackdown Indonesians have formed a Facebook support mob.
(Punk music plays)
The nation's rockers have staged gigs under the banner Solidaritas Punk Indonesia.
And, in this wired world, the Punks are not alone, with a bit of lip-service at least coming from as far a field as the Occupy London crowd.
OCCUPY LONDON PROTESTER: We are live people, so on the count of three, it's "Up the Indonesian punks". One, two, three.
OCCUPY LONDON CROWD: Up the Indonesian punks!
OCCUPY LONDON PROTESTER: Love it.
MATT BROWN: It all kicked off last year when the deputy mayor of Bandah Aceh made the punks her whipping boys and girls. And her brother, the police chief, enthusiastically wielded the big stick.
They say the punks are deviants; sloppy dressers who lay about in public, offending the moral values of Aceh's guardians of the Shariah.
When the police rounded up the punks in December, they invited the cameras in again, shaved their heads and detained them for more than a week without charge in a sort of boot camp. They were drilled on the parade ground, abused, dressed in drab uniforms and, in short, humiliated.
Those spouting their own version of Islamist moral values, have the whip hand. But those they've targeted also have a voice and the crackdown has allowed them to cast the struggle in stark relief.
(Music by Citizen Useless plays)
CITIZEN USELESS LYRICS: We don't want to live in a facist state. We don't wanna do what you say. We just want to live our life and do it our way. It's hard to be a punk in Aceh.
MATT BROWN: Indonesia is in the midst of a long and fascinating transformation. And it's way too soon to say the punks fought the law and the law won.
This is Matt Brown in Jakarta, for Correspondents Report.
As European economies cope with depressed demand at home, Indonesia, with its 232 million people, is looking like an increasingly attractive investment option that could spur growth.
