Posted in: Human Rights

Q&A: Dede Oetomo on the LGBT panic

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Indonesia has seen a sustained attack on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community over the past two months, triggered by comments made by the minister of higher education, research and technology, Muhammad Nasir. Indonesia at Melbourne spoke to the godfather of gay activism in Indonesia, Dede Oetomo, about the moral panic gripping the nation.

The Rohingya in Aceh: displaced, exploited and nearly forgotten

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In May 2015, Indonesia agreed to provide temporary shelter for up to 3,500 Rohingya boat people, insisting that they be resettled or repatriated within a year. With this deadline fast approaching, Dr Antje Missbach reports that few have been resettled, and public goodwill is beginning to dry up.

Photo essay: last drinks in Kalijodo

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Jakarta bid farewell to the Kalijodo red-light district last week. The city administration had announced plans to raze the area and turn it into green space just 20 days before the bulldozers moved in. Freelance photographer Imang Jasmine was there to capture the notorious district's final moments.

The fear of communism still haunts Indonesia

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Last week, pressure from mass organisations forced the cancellation and relocation of the Belok Kiri Fest, a cultural event that aimed to challenge dominant discourses of Indonesian history. Dr Ken Setiawan writes that the incident is the latest example of the ongoing repression of alternative discourses on leftism and the events of 1965 in democratic Indonesia.

Indonesia under pressure over female genital cutting

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Many were shocked on 6 February when Unicef reported that an estimated 60 million Indonesian women and girls have undergone genital cutting. Dr Dina Afrianty writes that although some Indonesians believe female circumcision is an important expression of religious identity, theological justification for the practice is weak.

Revoking citizenship to fight terrorism is misguided and reckless

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On Indonesia at Melbourne last week, Bhatara Ibnu Reza warned against revising anti-terror legislation to provide police or intelligence officials with greater powers. Christian Donny Putranto writes that the proposal to strip the citizenship of individuals suspected of fighting with terrorist groups is just as dangerous.

Jokowi's unlikely promise: settling past human rights abuses

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In January, President Joko Widodo twice instructed senior officials to resolve past violations of human rights by the end of the year. Yati Andriyani and Nurkholis Hidayat write that unless major changes are made to the reconciliation process, prospects for meaningful resolution do not look good.

Gafatar attack shows the limits of unity in diversity

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Al Makin writes that as long as Indonesians remain a pious people oriented toward religion, new religious movements like Gafatar will continue to emerge. Both the government and Indonesian citizens need to accept this fact. Photo by Jessica Helena Wuysang for Antara.

LGBT Indonesians on campus: too hot to handle

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Last weekend, the minister of higher education, research and technology stated that he would ban LGBT Indonesians from all universities in the country. Although he has attempted to qualify this statement, Hendri Yulius describes how the incident is part of a trend of increasing restrictions on the discussion of LGBT issues in Indonesian universities.

Indonesia at Melbourne is supported by:

Melbourne Law School Asia Institute Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society Indonesia Forum Faculty of Arts Indonesia Democracy Hallmark Research Initiative

Indonesia at Melbourne

Room 726, Level 7, 185 Pelham St,
The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010 VIC Australia

Phone: +61 3 83448581

Email:  indo-at-melb@unimelb.edu.au

Date created: 1 July 2015

Editor: Aron Corbett

Editorial board: 
Professor Tim Lindsey
Dr Tim Mann

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated.

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