JAKARTA. US pop singer Lady Gaga has broken her silence on the long-running drama over her planned Jakarta concert, making note of censorship concerns and threats of violence against her.
After more than a week conflicting statements and international headlines over whether authorities would allow the June 3 concert in Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta to go ahead, Gaga used her Twitter account, @ladygaga, to provide two brief statements.
"The Jakarta situation is 2-fold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show & religious extremist separately, are threatening violence," she posted on Tuesday. “If the show does go on as scheduled, I will perform the BTWBall [Born This Way Ball] alone.”
One of those authorities is Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, who said last week that Gaga "indulges in pornography by wearing revealing costumes" and that she would have a negative influence on young Indonesians.
There are also groups like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which has expressed strong opposition to the Grammy Award-winning artist, with one FPI chief, Habib Salim Alatas, saying that Gaga brings "the faith of Satan to our country and thus will destroy the nation’s morals".
Her ability to perform in the country hinges on whether the National Police issues her a concert permit.
Article 15 of the 2002 Police Law stipulates that it is the National Police who have the authority "to issue a permit for, and monitor activities, involving crowds".
After saying last week that it would not issue a concert permit for the pop singer, the National Police are now saying that one would be issued if Gaga’s concert promoters can get recommendations from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Religious Affairs Ministry.
More than 52,000 tickets, with prices ranging from Rp 465,000 (US$50.75) to Rp 2.25 million, have been sold for the concert since they went on sale on March 10. (The Jakarta Post)
