Indonesians can sometimes be very blunt, especially when it comes to commenting on somebody’s weight. Greeting somebody you haven’t seen in a while with, “Oh wo,w you look so much chubbier now,” is not — generally — seen as the massive insult it would be in some other countries, which many would argue is evidence of society’s general acceptance of fat-shaming.
But could fat-shaming constitute defamation in Indonesia? That might soon be put to the test. Police in Malang, East Java, say they are currently investigating a report filed by a woman who says that somebody maliciously made this hurtful meme that includes an image of herself made to look slimmer.
https://www.facebook.com/radioKDS8fm97.8/photos/a.1293841984058405.1073741828.1293831177392819/1600634266712507/?type=3
“Ma’am … this picture is finished …”
“Ok, how much does it cost …?”
“The photograph is 50,000 (Rupiah), the editing Rp 500,000”
“What… !! How come the editing is so expensive?
“Well ma’am … if you bought slimming medicine until you were that slim, how much do you pay ma’am? It would be in the millions right? ”
“Fine… whatever”.
The subject in the meme is Maulina Pia Wulandari, a lecturer in Brawijaya University’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Communications. Last Thursday morning she filed a report with the Malang police against the alleged maker of the social media post, accusing him of both stealing the photo and violating the country’s Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) defamation statutes.
According to Maulina’s report, the edited photo and malicious caption were created by a man identified by police as SR, a civil servant working for the fire department in Bontang, East Kalimantan. Her report said the meme had been shared and gone viral in several WhatsApp groups.
The head of the Malang City Police Investigative Unit, Yadwivana Jumbo Qantassoh, confirmed to the media yesterday that an official investigation into Maulina’s report was still underway and that they already interviewed Maulina in relation to the case.
Officer Jumbo (we swear, we are not making that up, that is his real name) said police were taking the case seriously as it involved a possible violation of the ITE law.
“Of course we need time [to investigate this thoroughly] because this is not an ordinary case, it has to do with the ITE Law,” Jumbo said according to Detik.
Maulina did not know the alleged perpetrator personally. She said she learned about the meme through a friend and later tracked down SR online. Maulina’s fierce first reaction to finding out about the meme, in which she retweeted it herself along with these wise words (and even a sales pitch), drew praise from netizens who screen captured the post.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10214901947319009&set=a.3606795885355.2155335.1137414192&type=3
“I was told that my photo was edited distributed on FB, distributed in WA and Instagram groups. Within 2 hours it has been entered into WA groups of arisan mothers, a WA group of BUMN companies and others. In fact, it was also the talk of junior high school teachers. I was thinking of looking into who edited and spread my photos. I was then contacted by netizens and told the FB account of the creator and the spreader. After I searched, it turned out to be a civil servant with the Bontang fire department,” Maulina told local news outlet Memontum.
After hearing about Maulina’s police report, SR then reportedly apologized to her online. Based on this account’s information and the comments, this appears to be the public Facebook apology posted by Maulina’s alleged perpetrator (we’ve reached out to Surya Ramdhana through Facebook for confirmation).
https://www.facebook.com/surya.ramdhana/posts/10212187332861856
Dear Maulina Pia Wulandari (Pia Haryono)
I, Suryadi, am asking for for your forgiveness in making the photo of you that has gone viral in cyberspace. I really didn’t have any bad intentions about the photos I uploaded on social media. But whatever the reason I still feel guilty and with the deepest sincerity, I really hope that you can forgive me and revoke the report that you have give to the authorities. And I promise I will not repeat my actions, which have harmed you and your family. Once again I deeply regret my actions and hope that in your wisdom and sincerity you will forgive me. I have made this apology in a conscious state and without any coercion from any party.
Best regards,
Suryadi
Despite the apology, Pia said she would still proceed with her police report. She also told the media that she was proud of her body and that she had never asked for that photo (which was taken as promotional materials for her side business selling clothing to plus-size women) to be edited.
“I never asked to be made slim. That’s purely editing by SR. I am an activist for big women. Large-bodied women activists know how to dress like fashion designers so that it doesn’t look like costuming. My report to the police is also to educate netizens so that they are always wise on social media,” Maulina said.
https://www.facebook.com/1457105597869395/photos/a.1473115499601738.1073741830.1457105597869395/1956877934558823/?type=3
If SR was found guilty of criminal defamation under the ITE law, he could face up to four years in jail, with possible additional punishments if he was found to have illegally stolen Maulina’s photo.
Indonesia’s controversial ITE law criminalizes any electronic media communication that could be considered defamatory or slanderous. It is often criticized by rights activists for being overly vague and ripe for abuse.
