Information and Communications Minister Sofyan Djalil has a sensitivity beyond the ken of most politicians and a sensibility beyond the belief of most right thinking persons.
His latest effort as guardian of what the nation should or should not be told is to try to pull the plug over a TV show satirizing politicians called Republic of Dreams (Republik Mimpi) . His reason: the show promotes “negative political education” to the people.
If negative political education is what he is up against then he would do well instead to moderate the words and behavior of Ministers (e.g. Aburizal “the-flood-victims-are-still-laughing”) and politicians (e.g. Yahya I-have-small-assets-that-are-videoed-by-a-dangdut-singer Zaini).
The Republik guys are not taking it laying down though. Effendi Gazali, the brains behind the show that is aired over Metro TV told The Jakarta Post: “So what’s the fuss? Why doesn’t the Minister take care of television shows that promote violence and the supernatural, which are true purveyors of bad taste?”
Effendi has a point, Sofyan Djalil should cultivate a thicker skin or get out of politics.
Unspun 
He is perhaps dreaming of living in an authoritarian system.
What is then the positive political education? Promoting civil obedience?
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