The U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia has waded into the controversy over Lady Gaga's upcoming concert in the country, urging officials to let the pop superstar perform.
The Poker Face hitmaker is due to put on a show in Jakarta on 3 June (12) as part of her Born This Way Ball world tour, but she is facing mass protests from religious groups who oppose her saucy stage routines, and is waiting to hear whether her performance permit will be granted by local officials.
The controversy is now attracting attention from politicians, and America's ambassador to the country, Scot Marciel, has publicly urged Indonesian authorities to greenlight the gig, according to the Jakarta Post.
Marciel says, "This is a matter for Indonesia to decide. Our hope would be of course that it's the Indonesian community as a whole to be heard on the views and not the views of a small group. The U.S. believes in freedom of expression and tolerance. And you know I think that Indonesia as I said has a long tradition of support for freedom of expression and tolerance as well."
Asked whether U.S. officials have attempted to intervene on Gaga's behalf, Marciel told reporters, "Well, we had our people with the security talking about the security side of it (the concert). That's true indeed. But otherwise we have not been engaged with the police on this (permit issue)."