Between Development and Morality: Muslim Resistance to The Porkas Program in Indonesian Media Discourse 1986-1987

Abstract

This study examines public resistance to Porkas, a state-sanctioned prize coupon scheme used to raise funds for sports development during Indonesia's New Order era, as represented in Tempo Magazine from 1986 to 1987. Using historical method through heuristic, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, this article analyzes Tempo articles, opinion pieces, and readers' comments as primary sources. The findings show that Porkas was not merely debated as a funding mechanism, but as a socio-political controversy reflecting tensions between developmentalist state rationality and public morality. Criticism of Porkas appears in several dimensions. Economically, it was considered unproductive because it redirected household income into speculative practices. Socially, it encouraged gambling addiction, superstition, poverty, and potential criminality. Religiously and morally, it was rejected as gambling that weakened work ethics and social responsibility. Legally, its administrative legitimacy was questioned because state authorization did not remove its gambling substance. The study also revealed that Tempo Magazine functioned as a public discursive arena where society criticized state policy, questioned religious authorities, and defended lower-income groups. Therefore, the Porkas controversy demonstrates that development policy requires not only legality, but also moral legitimacy, social accountability, and sensitivity to public welfare.