Musik im Fadenkreuz von Staat und Industrie

Das indonesische Parlament versuchte unlängst, mit einem Gesetzesentwurf die Musik im Land weiter zu regulieren. Trotz des erfolgreichen Protests einer Koalition von Musiker*innen bleiben die dem Entwurf zugrunde liegenden Probleme jedoch bestehen.

Recently, the Indonesian parliament attempted to further regulate music in the country through a proposed piece of legislation. Although a coalition of musicians successfully protested the bill, the underlying issues that motivated the draft remain unresolved. This year, Commission X of the Indonesian Parliament (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, DPR) introduced a music bill (RUU Permusikan). According to its proponents, the proposal was intended to support the Indonesian music industry. However, hundreds of musicians quickly rejected the draft. They formed the National Coalition to Reject the Music Bill (Koalisi Nasional Tolak RUU Permusikan, KNTL RUUP) and publicly articulated their objections. Critics argued that the bill contained ambiguous provisions, restricted freedom of expression and the creative process of musicians, primarily served the interests of the state and major industry actors, and had the potential to be used repressively against musicians critical of the government.