An Indonesian politician who was known for his role in passing a stringent antipornography law resigned yesterday after he was photographed watching porn on his computer during a parliamentary debate last Friday. The politician, who goes by the single name Arifinto, is a member of Parliament with the conservative and Islamist Prosperous Justice Party.
Apparently, Arifinto viewed the pornography “for several minutes as fellow legislators debated plans to build a new parliament building.”
In a speech to his constituents, the politician stated, “I am a human. I err like anyone else. I said this to the people and to the party. They understood.” He says that he will return to his previous business as a printer.
Ironically, the Jakarta Globe says that he could potentially be charged under the very law he helped enact: “‘If you are unaware that a particular Web site contains pornography, then it is permissible. But if there is enough evidence that [Arifinto] was browsing the Internet, intentionally accessing pornographic sites, then it is punishable,’ [a legal analyst] said.”
(Belfast Telegraph via The Daily What)
