the patriarchic world we currently live in has a long history of gender discrimination and supression. nevertheless, when an allegedly rape victim, 17 year-old girl, received capital punishment in Nigeria for having premarital sex, the picture of the Liberty statue representing equality and prosperity for all seems to linger much further than the dark ages when women had no right to vote.

what happened in Nigeria and Tangerang where the new local law against prostitution managed to hold captive and publicly trialed innocent women, presented the potential terror, if i may use such strong word, of the draft of bill regarding Anti Pornography (which is already governed by the current laws) and Porno-action (which is still not an existing word, by the way). with such biased, prejudiced base and much debated exceptional cases, the implementation of this so-called law, may be far worse than the rigid and manipulative traffic rules. when the government tries to control the morality of its nation, there's bound to be some scapegoats, who may or may not be guilty.

*this entry was started yesterday. this morning, one Kompas article (out of 3 of the same kind) uses the same word, terror. amazing how it often happens. all great minds think alike, i guess..*

the religious groups may not understand how come such a noble intention is not formalized yet. however, the NGOs defending women's rights strongly object to this draft for reasons which do not include spreading devil's intentions into the world. it's not only the intention that is in question (moral? political?) but also the way the law is to be implemented. take the following comparison for example:

Policeman: Sir, you crossed that line.
Accused driver: No, I certainly did NOT. Even if I did, that's because a bus was pushing me aside. It was an accident!
Policeman: Yes, Sir, you did. And I don't care if it was an accident. Now, either you pay me or I'm gonna write you a ticket.

"Moral police": Mam, your skirt just rode up 1 centimeter, making it 1 centimeter less than the allowed measurement.
Accused "porno-actor": No, it certainly did NOT. Even if it did, I was helping my son who fell of the chair. It was an accident!
"Moral police": Yes, Mam, it did. And I don't care if it was an accident, you broke the law. Now, either you give me a kiss on the cheek or I'm gonna arrest you.

aside for the controversial draft of bill...