With efforts continuing
to find a "win-win" solution allowing June 3rd concert to go ahead,
fans are campaigning to save the show via social media
Lady Gaga's
planned concert in Jakarta could boost the Indonesian economy and enhance its
international reputation, a government spokesman told Khabar Southeast Asia
this week.
According to I Gusti Ngurah Putra, spokesman for
the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, hosting an artist of Lady Gaga's
stature would be a positive development for the country.
"Having
an international artist performing in Indonesia can help the tourism sector,
which can then tell the world that Indonesia is a safe country to visit,"
he said.
However, he
noted, the tourism ministry does not issue concert permits for international
artists and "cannot criticise or interfere with any other government
institution's decision".
"We hope
that the promoter has considered the performance style and theme so that they
align with Indonesian culture and values and not create any controversy,"
he said.
As of Friday
(May 25th), prospects for
the concert remained uncertain, as the singer's promoters and
management appeared to differ over whether she would tone down her show.
Meanwhile, the National Police – which earlier in the month said it would not
issue a permit -- signaled it has not yet made a firm decision on whether to
allow it to go ahead.
In a
statement, the police said they were "evaluating inputs from all
sides".
If you
don't like it, don't buy a ticket
On Sunday,
the government said it had urged the chief of the National Police, General
Timur Pradopo, to resolve the dispute by looking for a "win-win solution,"
The Jakarta Post reported.
"The
Police could put an end to the heated situation by mediating between the
concert promoter and the protesters so that the show can go on under certain
terms and conditions," The Post quoted Djoko Suyanto, the co-ordinating minister
for political, legal and security affairs, as saying.
He also
warned hardline Islamist groups opposed to the show, such as the Islamic
Defenders' Front (FPI), not to use violence and intimidation to further their
views.
"There
must not be any threats in a democratic country. If you don't like [a
performer] then don’t watch [the concert]," The Jakarta Globe quoted him
as saying.
Fans take
to social media
With their
hopes in jeopardy, Lady Gaga fans
in Indonesia have been fighting to save the concert via Twitter and other
social media sites. @LadyGagaINDO is a Twitter account for "Little
Monsters," as the fans have been nicknamed. It was created by Anggiat
Sihombing, an 18-year-old university student at the Sampoerna School of
Business. His Twitter account currently has 24,874 followers.
Tevina
Tahitu, 17, a member of the creative team at the Twitter site, said the
campaign has had a global response.
"We are
so glad that #IndonesiaSavesGaga became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter
on 15 May 2012 for few hours. It means that we have gotten a lot of support
from Twitter users," she told Khabar.
"We hope
[the trending] could give moral support to promoters to bring Lady Gaga here
and could influence police to issue the concert permit, because it represents
the voice of Indonesian society," she added.
According to
Anggiat, meanwhile, the number of @LadyGagaINDO followers has increased by approximately
500 per day since the Lady Gaga controversy began.
Many ardent
fans have used their Twitter feeds to defend the star from accusations by FPI
members that she is a devil-worshipping blasphemer.
On the
contrary, tweeted @thewillysun, her message is positive and her lyrics
inspiring.
"The
only one that needs to get banned is FPI itself. They're embarrassing this
country on a daily basis," tweeted another fan, Yan Teio Madridistra, via
his account @Yanteio.
According to
Anggiat, the "Little Monsters" are staging peaceful actions,
including a flash mob at Central Park Mall, West Jakarta on Sunday, in order to
uphold freedom of expression.
"Despite
the rumour that said Lady Gaga is a satanic icon, we want to show many people
that she does not negatively influence her fans," he said. "In a
fact, we are rational people who prefer to do a positive protest by dancing and
singing together."
FPI vowing
to "burn the stage"
Speaking to
Khabar, an FPI leader denied that members of the group have bought tickets to
the show or that they plan to create problems during the concert if police
allow it to go ahead.
"We did
not instruct any FPI member to purchase tickets to the Lady Gaga concert,"
the group's deputy secretary general, Awid Mashuri, told Khabar.
"I heard
that it is a bunch of Bekasi young people who claimed to be FPI members. But I
want to say that if they are indeed FPI members, it is their right to purchase
and watch the concert. Do not blame us if members attend the concert."
Earlier this
week, however, FPI Bekasi chapter head Murhali Barda posted a photo and
announcement on his Facebook account indicating that members have purchased 150
tickets to the show. He said they had bought the tickets not for the sake of
enjoying the concert but in order to do "other things".
On Friday,
FPI members staged raucous protests at sites across Jakarta, including outside
police headquarters. Demonstrators sporting devils' fangs and horns told the
pop star to "go to hell".
A statement handed
out at the protests called for members to "crush liberals" and
"fight gays and lesbians", while also warning that FPI members would
burn the stage if the star performs, the AFP reported.
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