Issue 1- Suharto and The Last Supper

We live in a world of millions, where everyone may have a different perception or interpretation towards a certain happening. What is perceived as insulting by one person may not necessarily be so to another. The same object or behavior can be sacred or profane depending on how people define it (Hughes & Kroehler 2005).

As recent as February in the year of 2008, there was a public outcry from the local Christian community due to certain publication issues by one of the top news weeklies in the country of Indonesia. An article posted by the ABC News website on the 6th of February 2008 was titled ‘Indonesian weekly apologises over Last Supper Suharto cover’. In the article, ABC News explained the whole controversy surrounding the Christian community outcry on the February edition of Tempo’s publication. The whole issue revolved around the front page of the publication which depicted the former president Suharto and his children in imitation of Leornardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The controversial cover shows Suharto in place of Jesus Christ and his children replacing Christ’s followers.

(Source: asiaone)

(Source: bolstablog)


Hermawi Taslim, the Catholic Students Alumni Forum Head was cited in The Jakarta Post as saying that the original Last Supper painting had a deep meaning to Catholics as it is about the holy journey of Christ and he thinks the depicting of the corrupt Suharto in Christ’s place is disrespectful.

The problem with the whole issue was that the editors of the Tempo magazine had not considered the cultural significance behind the painting, probably because they were not familiar with the religious significance of it. The editors of the Tempo were quick to apologize and were quoted by ABC News in saying that the cover was done in inspiration of the composition of the original painting with no other contextual significance. According to the Schema Theory by Putnis and Petelin (1996), a reader’s interaction with a picture or text to construct meaning is based on their prior knowledge. To most non-Christians, the Last Supper would probably have no other significance other than the brilliance and beauty of the painting, while a Christian believes the painting depicts Christ’s last gathering – holy.
I believe that it is essential when producing a publication to consider all the possible implications or if uncertain to include a disclaimer for any possible offense it may cause.




Reference List
ABC News 2008,’Indonesian Weekly Apologises over Last Supper Suharto Cover’, ABC.net, viewed 10 June 2009, < http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/06/2156269.htm>.

The Jakarta Post n.d.,’Tempo Apologizes for Controversial Da Vinci Cover’, Seasite, viewed 10 June 2009, < http://www.seasite.niu.edu/flin/suhartolastsuppereng.htm>.

Hughes, M & Kroehler, CJ 2005, Sociology: The Core, 7th edn, McGraw-Hill, New York, US.

Putnis, Peter and Petelin, Roslyn 1996, 'Writting to communicate', in Professional communication.