Indonesian Men’s Group Takes Stand Against Polygamy, Branding It Discriminatory

Anita Rachman

A number of men have formed a group to counter the controversial launch of a local branch of a Malaysia-based “polygamy club” in Bandung.

Speaking at a news conference at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Jakarta on Sunday, Wawan Suwandi, a member of the Men’s Coalition to Reject Polygamy, said the failure of a growing number of men to consider women’s perspectives on polygamy had forced them to act.

“The practice of polygamy is so patriarchal — there is no gender equality,” said Wawan, who also works for a women’s rights group, the Women’s Journal Foundation (YJP).

“We want to share this critical awareness with society and ask men to promote this awareness.”

Wawan said the topic of polygamy was brought up now more than ever before, especially by elements that support what he called a discriminatory and degrading practice.

Last month, Bandung played host to about 150 people from across the nation to launch the first Indonesian branch of the controversial Global Ikhwan Polygamy Club.

“We want people to know that not all men agree with polygamy,” Wawan said.

He said that he did not believe that women who shared their husbands were truly happy, and that men who practiced polygamy were being unfaithful and hurt their wives. “Do you think that the wives of polygamists are all really happy?”.

Wawan said that members of the new antipolygamy coalition, mostly nongovernmental organizations, would soon coordinate a public awareness campaign.

“We conduct online activity on Facebook but will still meet and talk with people,” he said. “We urge our member to share their thoughts with friends — that’s a more effective way to spread the message.”

The Facebook site, called Club Anti Poligami, had 287 members as of Sunday evening.

Estu Rakhmi Fanani, director of the Women’s Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Apik), hailed the antipolygamy coalition’s launch, saying she was happy that a men’s group had finally taken a stand on the issue.

“That’s big support for us, opposing polygamy, to give more perspective to society,” she said.

Wawan said the group acknowledged that people would disagree with their stance, especially among religious circles because Islam allowed polygamy under strict regulations. Some online discussions on the subject also say that men who opposed the practice are supposedly not macho enough.

“We know the risks that some people with their religious perspectives might oppose us,” Wawan said.

“In our opinion, polygamy is a form of denigration to men’s dignity, as men are then labeled as treacherous, heartless and unable to manage their lust.”