Jakarta – Social media has been abuzz these past weeks with examples of scores of regional government websites and programs using names that appear to objectify women and perpetuate the deeply embedded patriarchal culture in society.

Among the much-criticized names was the Cirebon regency administration's health service website called Sipepek, which in Indonesian can refer to the female reproductive system.

Although the administration claimed that the site was named after a word in the local dialect meaning "all-encompassing", it still proves the officials' insensitivity toward matters as serious as sexism and sexual harassment.

The statement is not exaggerated given the presence of other official programs carrying a similar nuance, such as Simontok (the plump one) for food stock monitoring apps by the Surakarta city administration in Central Java, and Siska Ku Intip (I peeked at Siska) for a commodity and livestock integration system in South Kalimantan.

A program aimed at vulnerable workers in the city of Tegal named Mas Dedi Memang Jantan (Mas Dedi is indeed manly) has also drawn some ire from the public as it is regarded as perpetuating patriarchal concepts of masculinity, especially since the city was led by then-mayor Dedy Yon Supriyono when the program launched in 2022.

The regional administrations' audacity to use such innuendos comes as no surprise, as sexism is deeply entrenched in the country's institutions, even within the central government.

Even a respected figure like former coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Mahfud MD made a sexist joke during the COVID-19 outbreak by rendering women analogous to the coronavirus.

"I received a meme [yesterday] that goes, 'Corona is like your wife. You try to control it, and then you realize you can't. Then you learn to live with it'," he said in jest, while claiming that he had been sent the meme by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan.

Despite the backlash he received for the tone-deaf and misogynistic view, Mahfud, who ran for vice president in February, has made other similarly insensitive comments.

He suggested, during his campaigning in West Sumatra last December, that the wives of graft convicts were to blame for their husbands' offenses as they put pressure on their husbands to live beyond their means. Ironically, the comment was conveyed in front of a group of women as he discussed the importance of women's roles in nation-building.

Mahfud's controversial comments and his ignorance in the face of criticism show how strongly ingrained the patriarchal culture prevails in the government. We must put a break on this as the devaluation of women lies at the root of gender-based violence.

Every year, Indonesia sees hundreds of thousands of gender-based violence cases, as recorded by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). In 2024 alone, as many as 401,975 cases were reported to the relevant authorities, but the number is believed to represent the tip of an iceberg as many choose to keep quiet.

What makes the matter worse is that law enforcement officials, civil servants, as well as police and military personnel are among the perpetrators, according to the Komnas Perempuan report.

Not only does the government contribute to normalizing misogynistic attitudes, it also appears to include actors behind the rampant violence against women in the country. If we truly want a change and suppress all forms of inappropriate behavior toward women, it should start from the top.

The first step to showing respect to women should be changing the controversial names of the government's official programs to something proper yet still engaging. After all, public services should go hand in hand with public decency.

Changing the names of the controversial websites after public outcry is not enough. This could make people angrier, especially since women's rights defenders have been working hard to make society more aware of gender equality.

The best the government can do is to champion and advance women's rights, not the opposite.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/07/27/enough-with-sexism.htm