JAKARTA, Jan 18 — A police report filed against Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono over jokes in his Netflix special Mens Rea has triggered a national debate — but fellow comedians say they aren’t backing down.
Speaking to The Straits Times (ST), several comics said the complaint had not shaken their resolve to tackle thorny social and political themes, insisting that Indonesian audiences are more open to nuanced, provocative humour than detractors assume.
Ben Dhanio, who opened for Pandji in the special, admitted he felt “a little worried” at first, knowing clips from his set would inevitably circulate on TikTok and Instagram. But that anxiety quickly faded when viewers embraced his material.
“But after watching my clips (on those sites) and reading the comments, the majority are positive,” said the 33-year-old.
“To me, that means that the public is ready to accept these kind of jokes.”
Since premiering on December 27, Mens Rea — Netflix’s first Indonesian stand-up special — has remained firmly in the platform’s Top 10 shows in the country.
But its success drew controversy on January 7, when a complainant claiming to represent the youth wings of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah lodged a police report accusing Pandji of violating the criminal code’s provisions on incitement and blasphemy.
In the special, Pandji joked about alleged quid-pro-quo arrangements between the government and the two major Islamic organisations, and poked fun at voters who equate piety with integrity.
“Never missing a prayer doesn’t mean you’re good, it just means you’re consistent,” he quipped.
While Jakarta police say they will process the complaint, NU, Muhammadiyah and multiple legal experts have dismissed the report as unfounded.
The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform noted in a January 9 statement that satire and artistic expression are protected under Indonesia’s Constitution.
Up-and-coming comic Rizky Wahyu Saputra, known as Rizky Ambon, told ST he sees the backlash as a reminder that not everyone understands stand-up culture — but believes younger, savvier crowds do.
“Nowadays, people who come to comedy shows are already prepared (for sensitive material). They even seek it out specifically,” said the 27-year-old.
“It’s just a matter of time until the wider public becomes used to it too.”
Comedy has flourished in Indonesia over the past decade, from TV competitions such as Kompas TV’s SUCI to an explosion of online sketches that cloak political commentary in fictional settings like “Wakanda” or “Konoha” to sidestep potential backlash.
Sketch troupe Hecticholic, with over 1.5 million followers across platforms, leans into what founder Isol calls “edge-of-the-cliff comedy”, lampooning youth unemployment, corruption and inequality. One viral sketch features a buffoonish “Wakanda” official whose every promise backfires.
“This kind of comedy is more memorable and catchy, and people understand the message better,” Isol told ST.
He added that despite concerns raised by Pandji’s case, Hecticholic won’t be pulling punches.
“We cannot let the backlash (against Pandji) scare us into silence… Good people will always have other good people to protect them,” he said.
For former broadcast journalist Satya Pramesi, who runs the news-satire channel Indonesia Last Week, the solution is not coded messaging but sticking closely to facts.
“It’s pretty much what I, as an idealistic journalist back in the day, wanted to do, except injected with some comedy,” he said.
While cases like Pandji’s give him pause, he remains unfazed: “I won’t stop.”
As for Ben Dhanio, the comedian — who riffs on stereotypes about Chinese Indonesians in Mens Rea — said his priority remains the same: “the first threshold is always to be funny”.
“A Chinese guy doing stand-up comedy? It’s a mistake, dude… Chinese people should buy tickets, sit in the diamond section,” he joked in the special.
Though comics are often reminded to avoid SARA — ethnicity, religion, race and class — when performing for mainstream TV, many continue to playfully mine these themes without blowback.
“In the end, funny is funny,” Ben said.
