Jakarta – A Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member form Aceh, Sudirman Haji Uma, has written to Jakarta Metro Jaya Regional Police Chief (Kapolda) Inspector General Karyoto requesting that a transgender beauty contest held recently at a hotel in Central Jakarta be investigated.
Sudirman said the letter contained the aspirations of the community, Islamic clerics and social leaders in Aceh. "We’re asking that the Metro Jaya Polda [regional police] in this case follow up on the incident in this case", Sudirman said at the Metro Jaya Regional Police on Friday August 9.
In a video circulating on social media, one of the participants in the beauty contest, Ayuu Saree, was seen wearing a sash with the word "Aceh" on it. The contestant was even named the winner in the beauty contest. Sudirman said this has triggered anger among the people of Aceh.
"This has caused an uproar. So this has become an unstoppable polemic in Aceh. So all of the Acehnese people are protesting, devout clerics, community leaders, government leaders", he said.
Sudirman also questioned which party delegated the contestant to represent Aceh in the beauty contest. In fact, Sudirman said, it was an insult to the Sharia Islam (Islamic law) applied in Aceh.
"Their participation, in this contest was a delegation from where? On the basis of recruitment and selection from where? It wasn't all of a sudden, then they appeared in the name of Aceh. Yet Aceh doesn't recognise transgender contests, they don't exist. We apply Sharia Islam there", he explained.
"Specifically this is an insult against Islamic law, because Aceh has a specific law on Sharia law which is regulated by Law 11/2006 on special provisions", he added.
Therefore, said Sudirman, they hope that through the letter sent to the Metro Jaya Police Chief, the police can re-investigate the case.
"The hopes of the Acehnese people are like that, so there’s a deterrent effect, not just taking something because you feel like it, and of course we are articulating this aspiration, that’s the hope of the community and of course the law must be pursued in accordance with applicable laws. That’s our hope”, said Sudirman.
Earlier, a video showing a transgender beauty contest at a hotel in the Sawah Besar area of Central Jakarta area went viral on social media.
After a series of investigations, Sawah Besar Sectoral Police (Polsek) Chief Commissioner Dhanar Dhono Vernandhie confirmed that there no criminal elements related to transgender beauty contest.
Vernandhie said that later Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officials would investigate the case further over alleged violations of regional regulations (Perda) related to such events.
“There weren’t any (criminal elements), they weren’t found”, he said on Wednesday August 7.
Meanwhile, Central Jakarta Satpol PP head TP Purba said the hotel and the organisers of the event are facing sanctions related to violations of Regional Regulation Number 8/2007.
"In this case we’re not talking about the transgender issue, as far as Satpol PP is concerned it’s about the permit to hold a crowded event that is mandated under Perda 8/2007 that in its implementation there must be a permit from the governor”, he said.
"We will follow up this article with sanctions, perhaps it’s just a minor offense (tipiring) at the Central Jakarta District Court”, he added. (dis/DAL)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Senator Aceh Surati Kapolda Metro: Usut Kontes Kecantikan Transgender".]
