A woman named Lisa Marlina might have to deal with authorities for allegedly insulting Bali in a tweet in which she claimed that sexual harassment is non-existent on the island because Balinese people “enjoy being harassed” and that prostitution is rampant on the island.
“In Bali, there is no sexual harassment because people enjoy being harassed. They can easily channel their desire because prostitutes and prostitution are available in every corner, you just need a little fund. Of course no one will report it,” Lisa Marlina tweeted under her account, @lisaboedi, on Saturday.
Balinese designer Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik, who is more commonly known as Niluh Djelantik, took issue with the tweet (which has since been deleted) and responded via an Instagram post that same day by saying that she would file a report with the police regarding the matter.
“For those who knows Lisa Marlina, please let her know that I will not remain quiet about the insult she wrote about Bali. I will take this up with the authorities, so that [she] could clarify her statement and prove that there are prostitution and prostitutes in every corner of our island,” Niluh wrote, adding that Lisa has ‘demeaned’ Bali.
On Instagram, Niluh put up four separate posts about the issue, trying to highlight the matter and bring it to Lisa’s attention. She even shared her mobile number to allow Lisa to contact her with her phone number and address, which Niluh needed to file a police report.
It appears to have worked as Lisa eventually messaged her via WhatsApp. This happened last night, and, as Niluh showed in a number of screenshots shared via Twitter, Lisa used the opportunity to try and explain the situation, apologize, and claim that she didn’t mean to “attack the people of Bali.”
Dear Lisa Marlina.
Ucapan maaf diterima. Proses hukum tetap berjalan.Agar bisa menjadi pembelajaran bagi yang lain untuk tidak merendahkan, melecehkan apalagi menyamaratakan seisi pulau kami sebagai sarang pelacur.
Dan berlaku juga untuk pulau dan daerah yang lain.Ketjup Sayang pic.twitter.com/7rGkgl6Mh7— Niluh Djelantik (@niluhdjelantik) July 21, 2019
In a series of tweets posted last night, Lisa also tried to explain that there was a typo on her viral tweet and claimed that it was actually meant to specifically address a person she was arguing with on Twitter and not Bali as a whole.
Nah ini yang menjadi masalah, saya typo menulis km menjadi kl ditweet balasan saya karen terlanjur emosi, tentu lazimnya saya menyerang ybs, sehingga yg sy maksud senang dilecehkan adalah ybs. pic.twitter.com/mb2G53IOJA
— Lisa Marlina (@lisaboedi) July 21, 2019
For the record, Lisa’s original tweet was in response to a tweet from user @AmbarwatiRexy, who was discussing the issue of sexual harassment on her timeline.
Ternyata aku bodoh. Gini ya, dulu ditanah Jawa pere bajunya terbuka, malah ada yg teteknya keliatan tp gk ada pelecehan seksual. Semenjak diwajibkan bungkus aurat, tingkat pelecehan semakin tinggi.
Pelaku nyalahin baju korban. Efek aurat berbungkus, liat jempol langsung ngaceng. https://t.co/2nIjZERYqw— Rexy Ambarwati (@AmbarwatiRexy) July 19, 2019
In the above tweet, for example, Rexy explains that there was a time in Java when people walked around without covering their breasts, and there hadn’t been sexual harassment. She goes on to say that, even though people are required to cover themselves now, harassment happens anyway and continues to increase, with many people blaming victims for what they are wearing.
In her (questionable) explanation, Lisa also claimed her viral tweet had been the result of Rexy using Java as an example, so she wanted to compare it with a different location.
In addition, even with the alleged typo, her original tweet would have still generalized all of Bali, rendering that defense rather illogical. Moreover, it also appears that it’s not the first time she’s done something like this.
As another tweet from her account showed, Lisa once said that there’s a braless culture in Bali, where the women used to pound rice naked.
Niluh then posted a screenshot of that tweet from Lisa, along with the words: “Dear @lisaboedi, you’re still saying that was a blunder? Digital footprint is cruel, darling. You’re selling, I’m buying. See you in Bali.”
Dear @lisaboedi ,
Masih mengatakan diri khilaf ?
Jejak digital itu kejam sayang.Kamu jual. Aku borong.
Sampai jumpa di Bali. #peluktianglistrik pic.twitter.com/BedKKe7OKb— Niluh Djelantik (@niluhdjelantik) July 21, 2019
As of publishing, Niluh has yet to respond to Coconuts Bali‘s request for comment.
Lisa could potentially be criminalized under Indonesia’s Information and Electronic Transactions Law (UU ITE), which in 2014 was used to arrest Florence Sihombing, who derided Yogyakarta as being “poor, dumb, and uncultured.” Florence was later found guilty of defamation, and sentenced to 2 months in prison, a 6-month probation period and a fine of IDR 10 million.
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