Mahfud MD's Sexist Jokes Condemned By Women's Solidarity

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Solidaritas Perempuan criticized the statement of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD, who analogized the corona virus as a wife.

Chairperson of the National Executive Board for Women's Solidarity, Dinda Nisa Yura, said that this statement shows the government's superficial mindset in solving the COVID-19 problem and the sexist mindset of public officials.

"This statement not only reflects the government's superficial thinking to solve the problem of the COVID-19 pandemic but also shows the sexist and misogynistic mindset of public officials," said Dinda in a written statement quoted on Thursday, May 27.

He also considered that the joke seemed to show the will to dominate women. In addition, equating a wife with the corona virus also shows how the patriarchal mindset sees women as objects.

Jokes like this, he continued, would make the perception of women as objects a common thing and would perpetuate a culture of violence against women in society. This perspective, he said, contradicts Indonesia's commitment to have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women since 1984.

"When public officials issue statements that denigrate women, it becomes a challenge for the struggle to eliminate violence against women and encourage the state to respect, fulfill, and protect women's rights," he said.

Dinda also assessed that what Mahfud conveyed was actually clearly acknowledging that the government had failed and was no longer able to control the corona virus which continued to plague the community. "So, the only option is to accept to live with the virus," he said,

He also considered that the joke was considered insensitive and responsible. Given that currently the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia continues to increase.

"Acknowledging the failure to control the virus and asking people to live with the virus with the risk of being exposed to death is tantamount to presenting state failure as a joke in front of the people," said Dinda.

Previously, Mahfud considered, the new normal lifestyle during the pre-COVID-19 period that is currently being echoed by the government, such as the philosophy of a meme sent from the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, which contained 'living with COVID-19 is like living with a wife who after marriage must be able to adjust to each other '.

"Yesterday I got a meme from a friend. From Pak Luhut Pandjaitan. The title, in English, is corona is like your wife. In easily you try to control it, then you realize that you can't," he said in an online halalbihalal activity. which was broadcast on the YouTube account of Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Surakarta, Tuesday, May 26.

"Corona is like your wife. When you want to marry, you think you can conquer her but after being your wife, you can't conquer her. Than you learn to live with it. Well, that's it," he added.

This assumption, said Mahfud, is tantamount to living with a new normal in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This new normality, he continued, must become a habit because this pandemic is not something that can be avoided because people cannot lock themselves up forever or stay at home.

As for the new normal, he means that when people return to work, they must still pay attention to health protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining distance, and washing hands.

Moreover, this has been regulated in the Decree of the Minister of Health Number HK.01.07 / MENKES / 328/2020 which contains guidelines for preventing COVID-19 in the workplace. "So tomorrow, new normal life in that way. Because it is impossible, he said, I have read this in various journals, now it is precisely the ones that kill more people because people are locked up," he said.