Luna Maya: Welcomes court decision, hopeful for Ariel

Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/29/2011 9:24 PM | People

JP/R.BERTO WEDHATAMAEntertainer Luna Maya, who was swept up in a celebrity sex video scandal with boyfriend Nazriel Irham last year, has welcomed a Constitutional Court ruling regarding pornography and individual privacy.

But the 27-year-old is upset the decision on Tuesday regarding two articles in the 2008

Anti-Pornography Law on the private filming and/or possession of pornography came only a day after the 3.5-year prison sentence of the singer, who is known as Ariel, was upheld by the Bandung High Court.

“It’s good and it proves that we cannot be prosecuted, because what’s private is private,” Luna told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“But the decision really should have come before the appeal court’s decision was made, so Ariel could have immediately walked free. I really wish that the Constitutional Court had been firm on this issue from the outset of the case.”

Ariel, the lead singer of the group Peterpan, was convicted of making two videos, one with Luna and the other with TV presenter Cut Tari, in the scandal that became known as Peterporn. The videos were allegedly appropriated and uploaded to the Internet without the singer’s knowledge. He also was fined Rp 250 million.

The Constitutional Court turned down a request to review the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law lodged by lawyer Farhat Abbas in mid-2010, the Post reported

Tuesday, quoting tribunnews.com.

“The court found that the law is Constitutional,” presiding judge Mahfud MD said in the hearing on Tuesday.

Farhat had requested that the court review explanations of several articles in the Porn Law.

Articles 4 and 6 of the law ban production, storage and broadcasting of pornographic material, but subsidiary explanations exclude porn stored for personal use and interest as criminal.

Luna, one of the highest-paid and most popular entertainers in the country before the scandal, made a return to the public eye at the end of 2010. She said she was hopeful if an appeal is made to the Supreme Court on Ariel’s sentencing that a decision will be “wiser and fairer”.

She added that Ariel was accepting of the situation.

 “Of course Ariel is relieved by the Constitutional Court decision but disappointed by the high court ruling. But he is relaxed about things. He takes everything in stride.”

Papua community welcomes development acceleration plan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/16/2011 11:44 AM | Archipelago

Papuan community leader and city councilor Athanasius Allo Rafra has welcomed the government plan to establish a taskforce in March in a bid to accelerate development in Papua and West Papua provinces.

"I support the establishment of the taskforce because the development of Papua and West Papua has progressed at a snail's pace," Allo Rafra said Wednesday as quoted by Antara.

The taskforce (UP4B) would work to make sure the development of the provinces is conducted in line with government and community priorities.

Allo lamented that budget allocations in both provinces had been squandered because of unclear guidelines on development priorities.

“It isn’t clear where the priorities lie, whether it is in infrastructure, education, health or other sectors,” he said.

Allo said he hoped the taskforce would perform a similar function as the taskforce that helped Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias provinces to recover after the earthquake and tsunami.

He called on the central government to strictly supervise all development activities in Papua and West Papua to avoid misuse of the state budget.