Crying At The DPR Meeting, My Esti Regrets Fadli Zon's Statement About Rape In 1998

Illustration of rape (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR RI My Esti Wijayati cried when she heard the answer of the Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon regarding the 1998 mass rape. My Esti admitted that she was disappointed that Fadli Zon was judged insensitive to the incident.

The moment took place at the Commission X Working Meeting with Fadli Zon at the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. It started when Fadli Zon said he had read data from the Joint Fact Finding Team (TGPF) regarding the 1998 riots and My Esti Wijayanti interrupted with sobs

"Mr. Fadli Zon is talking about why he is getting sick so about rape, maybe it shouldn't be necessary in this forum, sir, because I was in Jakarta when the incident happened so I couldn't go home for a few days, but this further shows Pak Fadli Zon has no sensitivity to the problems faced by rape victims," said Esty, quoted Thursday, July 3.

"So in my opinion, the explanation of a very theoretical father like this by saying that you were also an activist at that time, it would actually make a deeper wound," he continued with a sobbing voice.

Esti's statement responded to Fadli Zon's statement saying there were no official facts. So, it will be difficult to admit legally because there are no facts and perpetrators of rape.

"Indeed, there is data from the TGPF, I have this data and I have read it in the '98 TGPF data and I have more complete and quite a lot of bundles, we can argue if there is, we have to curse it and we have to threaten it and there must be people who do it," said Fadli Zon.

"So we don't want the narrative at that time, especially when it was also published on various sites as if it were mass rape, but the photos were photos in Hong Kong, in Japan, and from sites," he explained.

Fadli Zon also highlighted the photos on the Far Eastern Economic Review taken from website sites. He said the photo was not taken in Indonesia.

"Here it can be read, it's still in '98, the first time Tempo was banned for only '98 is published again, here it is, so then there is also Far Eastern Economic Review about photos that were taken from website sites, so not in Indonesia, it was written by Jeremy Wagtas," he said.

"So there are things that I think need more thorough documentation, so that we don't cause one dividing thing later, this is actually what we expect," continued Fadli Zon.

Esti emphasized that the mass rape incident did occur. Fadli Zon, who heard it, immediately interrupted My Esti's statement.

"Just a short time, sir, so the point is that the incident happened, the problem then there were some notes that you gave earlier, let's...," said My Esti, who was cut by Fadli Zon.

"It happened, ma'am, I admit," said Fadli Zon.