A Canadian man may be booted out of Bali after a video depicting his naked dance on Mount Batur went viral over the weekend.
Immigration officials have identified the alleged culprit as a 34-year-old with the initials JDC, who has been summoned for questioning at the Denpasar Immigration Office this morning. Officials say JDC has been staying in Uluwatu, Badung regency.
In the video, which JDC reportedly uploaded to his own Instagram account, the Canadian can be seen performing a haka dance, completely butt-naked, with Mount Batur serving as the backdrop. A caption in the video reads: “When you strip naked without shame and be seen, you become a fearless child of God.”
JDC’s Instagram is still active as of this article’s publication time. In his profile, the Canadian brands himself a “JOY EXPERT” and claims to be able to “Heal your symptoms, pain & disease by uncovering the whole enjoyment of your unique Self & the love of Jesus.”
Seemingly aware of the controversy, JDC posted a video message yesterday in which he defended his self-described transcendental experience as true freedom of expression. However, his statement seemed to be more addressed towards accusations that he disrespected Maori culture by performing the traditional dance in a state of undress rather than for any offense he may have caused toward people in Bali.
“My intention was simply to enjoy sound, expression, and movement and freedom from my whole being… I have that right, and so do you,” he said.
“But the message I wanted to send was one of Jesus, and truly I tell you, until you become innocent children, you will not become fearless and you will not enter the kingdom of God. My question for you is, if that was a child on the mountain, innocently expressing themselves, would you criticize, ostracize, shame and reject and push them away?”
To answer your question, JDC, we would probably instead instill in that child the very important value of respecting other people’s cultural values and norms, especially if they’re in another country.
At any rate, Jamaruli Manihuruk, who heads the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights’ office in Bali, said immigration has confiscated JDC’s passport, which had been held by his local sponsor. He added that the Canadian recently applied for an extension to his visa, which expires on April 27, but may instead be deported out of Indonesia for violating the country’s laws and customs.
Under Indonesian law, performing an act of indecency in public is punishable by up to two years and eight months in prison.
“To all foreigners visiting Bali, please behave appropriately and respect Bali’s laws and culture,” he said.
