Police summons Rocky Gerung over 'Holy Book is a fiction'

Permadi Arya files police report against Rocky Gerung on alleged blasphemy.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Political observer Rocky Gerung has been summoned to appear before Jakarta Metro Police investigators on Thursday. He will be questioned about his statement that said "Holy Book is a fiction", a police official said.

"He will be examined around 10.00 West Indonesia Standard Time tomorrow," Spokesperson of Jakarta Metro Police, Argo Yuwono said on Wednesday.

A police report against Rocky was filed by Chairman of Jakarta's branch of Cyber Indonesia, Permadi Arya "Abu Janda" to Jakarta Metro Police on April 11, 2018. Permadi belived Rocky's statement during Indonesia Lawyer's Club TV talkshow broadcasted on April 10, 2018, has insulted the religion.

During the show, Rocky mentioned that 'Holy Book is a fiction'. He explained that fiction is a noun that sounds negative when being said at a political forum.

Nevertheless, Rocky said fiction is a great thing. Fiction is an energy to activate imagination, he added.

"And, we are living in a world of fiction, more in a fiction than realty. The antonym of fiction is realty, not fact. So, if you said fiction and it becomes pejorative, it means that we want our children to stop reading fiction as the past two months 'fiction' has been a negative term," he explained.

"Is Holy Book a fiction or not? Who dare to answer? If I use the definition that fiction activates imagination, Holy Book is a fiction, it's because it not over yet, the time has not come," he stated.

To explain further, Rocky then tried to make another comparison. He said that Babad Tanah Jawi is an example of fiction. Babad Tanah Jawi is a compilation of manuscripts written in Javanese language about the history of the land of Java.

"Fiction has a role to activate imagination, to lead us to think more imaginatively. Now, it (fiction) is killed, by politician," he said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)