Indonesian singer to be questioned over song parody
Thursday, August 23, 2001
Police in Indonesia plan to question an entertainer who performed a song that authorities claim pokes fun at the government and national symbols.

Harry Roesli sang a satirical version of the patriotic song, "Garuda Pancasila," during independence day celebrations at former president Abdurrahman Wahid's home.

Police say the lyrics appeared designed to spread "hatred and hostility" against the state, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

"It's time that the supremacy of the law be upheld. People can't ridicule state symbols," Colonel Anton Bahrul Alam said.

The song parodies Garuda, a mythical eagle that is Indonesia's state symbol and a tune about Pancasila, the philosophy of national unity.

Roesli denies any wrongdoing and says the song simply calls on the government to help the poor. He said: "Clearly, the tolerance of freedom of speech is narrowing."

Roseli said the satirical song has been around since the fall of ex-dictator Suharto in 1998. He has performed it several times in public and it is also often sung by street entertainers.

Colonel Alam says police will consult legal experts and historians before deciding whether to file charges against Roesli for performing the song on August 17.

The lyrics amount to a play on words in the Indonesian language. They say Indonesians are tired of supporting the Pancasila philosophy and sacrificing themselves for the state.

The original song says: "A just society will prosper. This is my people's character. Let's move ahead!" The satire says: "When will this just society prosper? This is my people's character. We're not moving ahead!"

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