Song “Pay Pay Pay”, Sukatani becomes “Police Ambassador” and the History of Banning Songs in Indonesia
By: Dr. KRMT Roy Suryo, M.Kes_
Alhamdulillah, after my previous article “The song is said to be no problem, Sukatani can be the People’s Song Ambassador”, 02/22/25, went viral and was widely published in various media that are still objective and dare to voice the people’s aspirations (note: because now Netizens are also starting to judge many media that do not defend the people and instead voice the interests of the oligarchy or rulers, to the point that the hashtag #ShameOn… The name of one of Indonesia’s major media outlets appeared), the song that is full of social criticism can now be freely sung.
According to my suggestion, the Chief of Police, General Sigit Listyo Prabowo, offered the Sukatani band’s personal duo, Novi Citra Indriyati alias Ovi (stage name Twister Angel) and Muhammad Syifa Al Lutfi alias Ai (stage name Alectroguy) as “Police Ambassadors” for improvements to the Bhayangkara Corps Institution. Although many netizen comments also suggested rejecting it and saying that this was a “Batman Trap”, however, the offer from TB1 alias “Tribrata Satu”, the number one person in the Police, deserves appreciation.
At least this has broken (read: slapped in the face) the action taken by the Central Java Police Cyber Team who reportedly visited the two band members who usually wear "balaclavas" aka head coverings from the Balaclava War era in Crimea, now Ukraine, in 1853-1856, precisely on 10/25/1854. In fact, both of them (in?) were forced to take off their balaclavas and appear with open faces while uploading an apology for their viral song, on the other hand, pro-regime media and BuzzerRp-buzzerRp also appeared to be doxxing them, Terwelu.
The case of "song banning" that happened yesterday was actually very bad for Indonesian democracy, because it reminds us of actions that were carried out in the past, in the New Order / New Order era and even the Old Order / Old Order. At that time, several events occurred where the ruling regime was anti-criticism and silenced all public aspirations conveyed through arts and culture, including songs. Indeed, at that time the means of expression and media were not as free and varied as they are now, so when conventional media were closed, then the public's access to channel their aspirations and expressions was also closed.
If we recall the history, indeed as far as I can gather from various references, there were several songs that had been banned or restricted in circulation by the government at that time for various reasons, ranging from lyrics that were considered provocative to not being in accordance with social norms. Starting in the OrLa / Old Order era (1959-1965), the OrBa / New Order era (1966-1998) to the Reformation Order era (1998-present).
During the New Order era, a very famous and banned song was “Genjer-Genjer” by Lilis Suryani and Bing Slamet (1960s). The reason was that this song was identified with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and was considered a ‘communist’ song. After the G30S incident, this song was banned from being played by the New Order government. Followed by the song “Paduka yang Mulia” by Lilis Suryani (1960s). In addition, there was also news that even Koes Plus songs were not recommended to be played, because the “ngak-ngik-ngok-ngek” music was considered to be more western and did not reflect Indonesian culture.
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In the New Order era, the song “Mimpi di Siang Bolong” by Doel Sumbang (1970s) was banned because the lyrics of this song were considered to contain criticism of the Soeharto government, alluding to corrupt practices, and depicting political manipulation that occurred at that time. Followed by the song “Surat untuk Wakil Rakyat” by Iwan Fals (1987). This song criticizes members of the House of Representatives who are considered not carrying out their duties properly. Likewise, the song "Pak Tua" Elpamas (1991) which describes the figure of an old leader but still maintains his power. The lyrics are considered to be satirizing the government at that time, so this song was banned from radio and the video clip was banned from national and private television.
The funny thing is that love songs like Betharia Sonata’s “Hati yang Luka” (11/01/1988) were banned on 24/08/88 when the Minister of Information Harmoko banned the playing of songs that were considered ‘whiny’ because they were considered to be able to cripple the spirit of national development. Followed by Nia Daniaty’s song “Gelas-Gelas Kaca” which was banned in the same month for similar reasons. However, two songs that are quite phenomenal and are still widely sung today are “Bento” and “Bongkar” both by Iwan Fals (1991). Although this song is considered disturbing because its lyrics are critical of the government, so its circulation was banned during the New Order era, it is still widely sung during demonstrations until now,
In the Reformation Era and After (1998-present) it was also recorded that several songs were banned by the government, including Melinda's "Cinta Satu Malam" (2010), and Julia Perez's "Paling Suka 69" (2012), both of which were banned because they were considered to teach vulgar things, not Eastern culture and pornography. There is also the song "Gossip Jalanan" Slank (2004) which is considered to be able to trigger public unrest because it portrays the reality of the lives of people who are oppressed by the ruling regime. Slank's songs are now even selling well in society, including the song "Anak Mami Mandiri" which was changed to criticize Jokowi's family with Gibran and Kaesang who he said only relied on their father and mother.
In conclusion, banning or banning songs usually does not make the song and its singer disappear from the market but instead makes it more popular. Sukatani's song "Bayar bayar bayar" is now like a mandatory song for the #AdiliJokowi and #IndonesiaGelap demonstrations which are rampant and God willing continue to grow lately because the people are waiting for a clear stance from the country's leader so that they are not still influenced by Jokowi. Moreover, this song has been declared not banned and even the singer was offered to become a Police Ambassador, Let's keep moving forward democracy ...
*Dr. KRMT Roy Suryo, M.Kes – Independent Telematics, Multimedia, AI & OCB Observer,
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