Indonesian Politician Sex Scandal
An extramarital affair involving a senior Indonesian politician and his mistress is highlighting a contentious debate in Indonesia over traditional Islamic attitudes towards sex and morality.
A 42-second video clip shot on a camera phone and circulating widely since early this month shows pudgy lawmaker Yahya Zaini naked, laughing and chatting as he advances on an equally naked and giggling woman named Maria Eva, a singer of the raunchy and sensuous local pop music known as dangdut. He soon climbs on board the chanteuse and puts a hand up to stop the recording.
The woman later told a packed press conference she loved her ardent suitor but the affair had actually ended two years ago, when she was pregnant and, according to her, the politician and his wife insisted she have an abortion. It was later reported that she had tried to convince a local production company to release the two-year-old video commercially. She is now being investigated by police under suspicion of seeking to distribute pornography, a criminal offense in Indonesia.
Unfortunately for the legislator caught with his pants down, a member of the Golkar Party of former dictator Suharto, not only did he head the party’s spiritual affairs department and religious affairs committee, which has responsibility for moral issues, but he was also a backer of the draconian Anti-Pornography Law. The party closed ranks and pressured the lawmaker to resign his seat in parliament, despite the fact that no laws had been broken.
Moralistic crusaders would like to make it impossible for scandals like that of the errant lawmaker to occur again and a complex struggle is underway in the society over sex, pornography, free speech, the role of women and Islam. The world’s biggest Muslim country, Indonesia so far remains the pluralistic secular state designed by its founders to be tolerant of Hinduism, Christianity and other religions. It is a surprisingly freewheeling place, where extramarital sex, prostitution and alcohol, among other vices, are in plentiful supply, particularly in the big cities.
But these are tough times for secularism and Islamic morality is the rallying cry for some conservative religious leaders, who would like to force Indonesia’s Muslims to behave according to their strict and puritanical rules. One wonders if the latest round of squeeze and tickle will keep the moralists at bay or just fuel their passion for restricting passion.
Many Indonesian women from all walks of life have been brought up to connect sexuality with love, and engage in sexual activities only with the man they love, presumably their husband. A woman, it was believed, should not have sex with a man unless she loves him.
By contrast, the same traditional view fully accepted the right of males to have sex with any female they liked. In essence, females were only sexual objects, designed for a man’s pleasure. Even though the status of women may be improving in modern Indonesian society, these traditions are still deeply embedded in the culture.
Morality is also behind a controversial push for an immediate anti-pornography bill. Mainstream Islamic organizations warn of moral decay, while politicians, long wary of alienating the silent Muslim majority, are backing a growing anti-porn movement.
In recent years, the hunting season for these guardians of morality has been Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, when they have been known to attack nightspots and places of entertainment with clubs and mobs. Some bars disguise their activities during Ramadan by pretending to be restaurants; others just close up for the month for fear of being attacked by radical Islamic thugs.
Meanwhile, even without benefit of legislation, the saga of Maria and Yahya has been grabbing plenty of headlines.
Apparently feeling they have the right to probe, police summoned the former legislator to explain himself at Jakarta Police Headquarters over the distribution of the video.
Previously, police questioned him about his relationship with Maria and his wife Sharmila. “I told police everything because I feel that I have been treated cruelly,” he said after the questioning.
Yahya’s lawyer, Hotman Paris Hutapea, said his client had no knowledge at all of Maria having had an abortion. “But he confessed to having an affair with her, for which he is now suffering the consequences by relinquishing three high political positions,” he said.
For now, that is all he will suffer. Future lotharios may not be so lucky.