Jumat 06 Dec 2013 09:31 WIB

Minister of Condoms, a poet without condoms

Nasihin Masha
Foto: Republika/Daan
Nasihin Masha

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, By Nasihin Masha

Deconstruction. That was the beginning. Hypocrite, that's the way. So we are witnessing the destruction, irony, and contradiction in the end. To deconstruct is easier than to construct. Lazy people prefer to track soft road of deconstruction than to climb constructing road.

Nowadays, we were struck by the phenomenon of peak madness, when the deconstructionist and the hypocrite uncover their veil. Intelligence, persona, and the long road were only falsehood of word stunt and tricky step, when the power of networking and institutional shield suddenly helpless by the uncovering of its authenticity. That's what we see on the national condom week and free sex activity of a poet. The coincidence two events are rooted from the same mud.

First, there is a campaign to prevent HIV and AIDS by handing out condoms to students. Also there is a red painted bus with commercial images of condom artist. Condoms distribution was even suggested by the words; please try with your girl/boy friend. The campaign turned into advocating condom and promoting free sex. It's no longer to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Moreover, the color of bus and the star were the same color of brand image of a particular of condoms products. In addition, the distributed condoms were not domestic products but imported products. State owned companies (SOE) manufactured condoms were lost on bidding Rp24 billion tendering projects.

The government obviously has been hijacked by private companies, not only by its misdirected campaign but also by a certain condom brand promotion. All of that became very suspicious. But I am not sure this will be culminated in court. Moreover, the government has denied their involvement. This means there is no such tender, no state budget funds.

Second, a poet accused of raping student from University of Indonesia. Currently, the victim is in her seven months pregnancy and demanding accountability. But the attempt failed, and then she complained to the police. Rape allegation was denied. He said it was consensual. Besides it's being in the process of 'responsibility'. In its statement, the institution that houses the Poet mentions the word patriarchy as a factor.

The core argument; freedom of sex is a private matter and there is a prepared risk as well as gender equality in terms of responsibility assuming if there is no element of rape and coercion. If patriarchy is questioned, then the word responsibility has different meaning. The responsibility did not necessarily mean marriage.

Since the end of 1990s decade, our society was invaded by the new virus neoliberalism, a powerful ideology in the end of the last century. Individualism and liberalism were utopised in perfect shape. There must be no partition on blocking it. The role of the state in maintaining unity and social cohesion must be disarmed. Other hampered factors in society must be destroyed.

Of course, the values prevailing in society usually culminate in religious teachings. Then religion becomes enemy, religious leaders transformed in to clown. The path to pursue it is by to deconstruct it. Tear it down. Then we found a period of religious value destruction, especially Islamic religion which the majority religion in Indonesia.

Alquran battered as not being sacred anymore. Alquran can be corrected. The Prophet was battered with a variety of abuse and humiliation. Basic doctrines and teachings that can be mocked were targeted, for example polygamy, interfaith marriage, pornography, and so on.

The scholars with different opinion were being targeted. Used as a mockery, and if there is a 'mistake' then it will be like a target in 'the killing field'. Then we find ourselves no longer exist and respect for religious scholars. Moreover, our scholars were still affected by the syndrome of post-colonialism; poverty and underdevelopment.

Political language was executed. Social control is converted into a moral police, though social control is a natural mechanism of social life. With the stamp of moral police then we no longer have the right to exercise control. Each individual is to take care him/herself.

When our neighbors fornicating, cohabiting, drunken party, involving on porn activities, they just did it. That's a perfect utopian individualism. In fact, the entire neoliberal struggle was not in absolute benefit for the nation. Their movements were very different from the thoughts of Tan Malaka, Bung Karno, Cak Nur, as well as Gus Dur.

Condoms week campaign has a similar direction as the neolib. It must be admitted free sex life is so alarming. Yet there is a peek danger behind it. One of it is the spread of HIV and AIDS as a result of changing partners. Therefore, use condom. However, the good intentions were tainted by wrong way.

Instead of preventing HIV and AIDS, it campaigned for condom and free sex. Of course it is backed by reality of increasingly breeding of free sex in society. The reality was then accepted as fact and let it be a private affair. So why is there such a stupid condom week?

All the thought eventually return to classical liberalism. Thomas Hobbes had warned about Leviathan, a monster. Or like the Latin proverbial Homo Homini Lupus, man is a wolf to the other.

And finally, survival of the fittest, only the strong will prevail. A theory adapted from the Darwinian evolution idea. We witnessed effort with a wide array of social structures to win the relationships between men and women through discourse, charisma, and power. Then we watched the irony. When all things ordained as a private affair, but in fact the defense of the family and group appeared.

Of course we do not want our society to destruct each others. This is where the importance of the values that form the basis of social control. Our lives are not at stake with haphazard way. Such as Hobbes said, we need a social contract if not we could be a Leviathan.

Ed: Heri Ruslan

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