He claims to have overcome evil spirits, helped hundreds of politicians and businessmen to kill their rivals and even put a curse on George W. Bush when the US president visited Indonesia.
But now Iman Santoso, one of Indonesia’s best-known warlocks, has a real world problem he may not be able to solve so easily: an attempt by Indonesia’s parliament to outlaw black magic.

“This is the heritage from our ancestors and we need to preserve it,” says the 68-year old, who is known by the alias Ki Gendeng Pamungkas, or Mr Crazy. “Rather than banning it, we should use black magic to punish those who are corrupt.”
Under proposed revisions to the Dutch colonial-era criminal code, Indonesia would make it illegal for anyone to “declare the possession of mysterious powers” or “encourage others to believe that by their actions they can cause mental or physical suffering of another person.” The crime would be punishable by a jail sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to Rp300m ($30,700).
The amendment has highlighted the problematic legislative process in Indonesia and the widespread adherence to traditional belief systems such as black magic, which is generally seen as being compatible with Islam in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

From presidents to peons, many in Indonesia believe in paranormal powers, which can be used for positive purposes such as healing or nefarious means such as voodoo-style curses.

Although Indonesia’s economy is booming and its transition from dictatorship to democracy has been relatively smooth, a series of poorly thought through legislative changes have undermined confidence in the government.
The parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing legal issues has been widely mocked for planning a fact-finding mission to France, the Netherlands, Russia and the UK to learn more about witchcraft laws, the latest in a long line of overseas trips that anti-corruption activists say are wasteful junkets.
“This kind of proposal is just an attempt to distract people’s attention from big news such as corruption,” says Agung Yulianto (alias Ki Joko Bodo, or Mr Idiot), another well-known shaman who insists that he only uses his paranormal powers for honourable ends. “If they pass this law it will make Indonesia look stupid in the eyes of the international community.”

In its official guidance, the Indonesian government says the legal change is needed to resolve people’s concerns about the practice of black magic and to bring a halt to the regular outbreaks of violent retribution against those suspected of witchcraft, which have led to the deaths of several hundred people over the past two decades.
Nicholas Herriman, an Australian anthropologist, says that black magic is seen as a serious problem throughout this nation of 240m people, including among the political and business elite.

“High court judges, senior policemen and academics believe something needs to be done about sorcery,” he says.
But regardless of a belief in black magic, he believes that the proposed law would be ineffective, unenforceable and open to abuse by a police force that is notoriously corrupt.
Other countries that have outlawed sorcery, including Cameroon, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, have found such legislation to be counter-productive, encouraging false accusations and persecution.
“I can’t believe this will get through but nothing ceases to amaze me in Indonesia,” says Mr Herriman, a lecturer at La Trobe University in Melbourne. “What are donors from Australia or other countries going to think when they’ve been spending millions of dollars shoring up Indonesian’s legal institutions?”
If Indonesia’s reputation would suffer then so would the fortunes of men such as Mr Santoso and Mr Yulianto, who have become wealthy celebrities by selling their services to senior government officials, leading businesspeople and ordinary citizens alike.

Mr Yulianto has built a phantasmagorical mansion – part-Disneyland castle, part Hindu and Buddhist temple – on the outskirts of Jakarta, where he parks a Mercedes and a Jaguar, among the dozens of luxury cars that he owns. Mr Santoso, who also runs nine petrol stations and an ultranationalist mass organisation, lives in a spacious villa in Bogor, a small city about 50km south of Jakarta, and drives a Toyota SUV with a licence plate bearing the digits “666”.

Mr Santoso travelled to Indonesia’s parliament in Jakarta on Tuesday to speak out against the proposed ban on black magic and to warn of the potential consequences of forcing the practice even further into the shadows.
The parliamentarians will have to be brave if they are to defy a man who is feared by many in Indonesia.

“I sometimes feel regret and can’t sleep at night,” Mr Santoso says, admitting to a modicum of remorse about the hundreds of people he claims to have killed through black magic. “But I make sure that I drink human blood every Friday night as a supplement to protect me from these thoughts and other evil spirits.”

Lol

i hate that bloody govt. anyways they are digging their own graves. now the black market prices for the Juju services will be much higher.

PAGAN 9JA:
i hate that bloody govt. anyways they are digging their own graves. now the black market prices for the Juju services will be much higher.

so dis babalawos in indonesia dey make huge money from their customers just like our nigerian pastors are making huge money from their ministries gosh too bad.

ninja4life:
so dis babalawos in indonesia dey make huge money from their customers just like our nigerian pastors are making huge money from their ministries gosh too bad.

Yes but their services work instantly, unlike your Nigerian pastors (which never works).

btw these are not exactly priests who perform prayer rituals like Babalawos. They are more like Oniseguns (pvt. ritualists).

PAGAN 9JA:


Yes but their services work instantly, unlike your Nigerian pastors (which never works).

btw these are not exactly priests who perform prayer rituals like Babalawos. They are more like Oniseguns (pvt. ritualists).

Boolshyt! Your babalawos are as fake as the crocodile shoes that the private jet pastors wear.


Both the pastors and the babalawos are fake



Tell me,PaganNja, are you using a spiritual keyboard to type or a physical one? Does your pagan power submit to the physical?

Logicboy03:


Boolshyt! Your babalawos are as fake as the crocodile shoes that the private jet pastors wear.


Both the pastors and the babalawos are fake



Tell me,PaganNja, are you using a spiritual keyboard to type or a physical one? Does your pagan power submit to the physical?

did you read the article? do you have any idea why the Indonesian Govt. had to step in itself and ban this "black magic" Because its WORKING. people/ political opponents ,etc., are actually dieing or facing problems because someone else is using it on them

Tell me LogicBoy, what does my keyboard have got to do with Spirituality? why not just leave the material world where it belongs and teh Spiritual world in its owb realm?

Everything has its time and place.

PAGAN 9JA:


did you read the article? do you have any idea why the Indonesian Govt. had to step in itself and ban this "black magic" Because its WORKING. people/ political opponents ,etc., are actually dieing or facing problems because someone else is using it on them

Tell me LogicBoy, what does my keyboard have got to do with Spirituality? why not just leave the material world where it belongs and teh Spiritual world in its owb realm?

Everything has its time and place.

The Indonesian govt is banning black magic because it is full of shallow minded muslims who are afraid of supernatural nonsense.


Your pagan powers are quite useless. Why havent you decimated the christians and muslims that oppress you in Nigeria if you follow the real gods?


At least I admit that my atheist power in Nigeria is useless. Logic doesnt work against madmen

Logicboy03:


The Indonesian govt is banning black magic because it is full of shallow minded muslims who are afraid of supernatural nonsense.


Your pagan powers are quite useless. Why havent you decimated the christians and muslims that oppress you in Nigeria if you follow the real gods?

have you realized that Im probably one of the only few Pagans in the world, who is actually even interested in fighting against christianity and islam You think any of todays Traditionalists are interested in decimating them?

and Im not a ritualist btw. Im a religionist.

At least I admit that my atheist power in Nigeria is useless. Logic doesnt work against madmen

PAGAN 9JA:


have you realized that Im probably one of the only few Pagans in the world, who is actually even interested in fighting against christianity and islam You think any of todays Traditionalists are interested in decimating them?

and Im not a ritualist btw. Im a religionist.

That is the problem right there...you pagans have been taking abuse from christians and muslims for over a thousand years but you guys still mind your won business....


Na lie 0oo.....atheists are now taking back their rights (except in muslim areas )

Logicboy03:

That is the problem right there...you pagans have been taking abuse from christians and muslims for over a thousand years but you guys still mind your won business....


Na lie 0oo.....atheists are now taking back their rights (except in muslim areas )

yes that is our problem. we are way too tolerant or helping. we let these missionaries carry out their work here and now we are paying. Also there is no Universal Pagan Unity. that is another problem. christians and muslims are united the world over (though they have their own internal strifes). However we Pagans were not aware of any other Pagans existing outside our ethnic group. we never realised the underlying similarity between us.






Anyways sha, we will see some great changes in our lifetimes.

PAGAN 9JA:


yes that is our problem. we are way too tolerant or helping. we let these missionaries carry out their work here and now we are paying. Also there is no Universal Pagan Unity. that is another problem. christians and muslims are united the world over (though they have their own internal strifes). However we Pagans were not aware of any other Pagans existing outside our ethnic group. we never realised the underlying similarity between us.






Anyways sha, we will see some great changes in our lifetimes.

one can only hope

Hmmm interesting.
https://www.laguindonesia.