Following accusations of Islamophobia for their opposition to religion-based laws, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), one of Indonesia’s youngest political parties and arguably the country’s most progressive, is now facing another attack in the form of an edited “sexy” photo of its founder and Chairwoman Grace Natalie.
As reported by Kumparan, PSI officials filed an official complaint with the Jakarta Metro Police yesterday about the defamatory photo — in which a cropped image of Grace’s head was pasted onto the body of an adult film star — which had circulated online recently.
“We are reporting six accounts, consisting of five Twitter accounts and one Instagram account,” said Grace’s attorney Muannas Alaidid, who also gave the names associated with those accounts.
Muannas accused the people behind the social media accounts of defamation for creating and/or sharing the edited photo of Grace, which is punishable by up to four years’ imprisonment under the Law on Information and Electronic Transactions (UU ITE).
Jakarta Metro Police Spokesman Argo Yuwono said they will begin an investigation into the matter, starting with calling up some witnesses soon.
This is not the first instance of Grace becoming the victim of social media hoaxes. In June, she reported one Twitter user to the police for starting the false rumor that she had an affair with former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
PSI is a new party, founded by Grace in 2014. It is comprised mostly of young members who champion solidarity through religious and cultural pluralism as well as human rights, earning it a reputation, for better or worse, as a liberal party for millennials. While many have praised them for their progressiveness, even some who share their views have questioned their effectiveness and motives.
PSI is participating in its first election in 2019, and will back President Jokowi for his second term in office.
