Anggun: Why Am I Toppled by My Own Nation?

Anggun: Why Am I Toppled by My Own Nation? - The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), admonished Anggun, as the Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for allowing her tour concert this year to be sponsored by a cigarette company. Anggun reacted by stating her position at the State Ministry Office of Women Empowerment, Jakarta, Friday.

As reported by the media, Komnas PA has stated their objection over Anggun's tour concert this year, which is sponsoded by a cigarette company, mainly because Anggun is the Goodwill Ambassador of FAO who bears the mission to fight famine and poverty, while cigarettes are one of the cause of poverty.

Reacting on Komnas PA's admonition, Anggun regrests the actions they've taken to express their objection. "They sent a letter to FAO, then to my management. Suddenly I receive a lot of letters from America and other countries. I wonder why Komnas PA didn't write to us first," said Anggun at the State Ministry Office of Women Empowerment.

"Have they ever seen me smoking? Even if other people smoke, I never asked them to. It's their choice of life-style. It's not my life-style. So if they'rea accusing me of promoting smoking, what's the proof? I'm not endorsed by a cigarette company personally. Almost all events in Indonesia are related with the cigarette industry. Even some sport events are sponsored by cigarette companies. The people can judge between what's good and bad," explained the Javanese woman with the full name of Anggun Cipta Sasmi.

Anggun confessed that she didn't know the details of her contract. She continued, I'm just the singer in the concert. She continued her confession that she had asked the sponsors to cut down on the cigarette promotions in the concert.

"Furthermore, the stage won't even have logos of cigarette brands, and the sponsor isn't related with the artist," said the mother of one. "If there's an event, my manager signs a contract with a local promotor. I've been contracted to perform in five concerts, so as a singer I have to honor the contract. But I have asked the cigarette company to cut down their promotion in my concert," she said.

According to Anggun, the admonition from Komnas PA is misdirected. "They're accusing the wrong party. And what hurts me is that being the FAO Goodwill Ambassador I've been tackled by my own nation. Though I've never given Indonesia reason to be ashamed. Maybe the admonition shouldn't be directed at us. But the rules should be changed. It's not our fault. They're blaming the wrong party," she said.

And again she protested, "Why must I be dragged down by Indonesia? In the future, I must be more careful. But, like I said, in Indonesia it's something ordinary," she concluded. ( kompas.com )