AsiaCalling

Download This week the straddle ban for women in Indonesia’s Lhokseumawe city was officially launched.

Local authorities distributed a notice to government offices and villages informing residents about the proposed law that bans women from straddling motorbikes or holding on to the driver.

Lhokseumawe is located in Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that practices Shariah law alongside national law. The right to apply Sharia law was granted in 2002, as part of an autonomy agreement.

It’s not yet clear what the penalty for women straddling a motorbike will be, but under Shariah law, the punishment could include public caning.

As Citra Prastuti reports from Jakarta, the proposed law has created a public outcry.

Women in Lhokseumawe, in Aceh province, will no longer be able to straddle motorbikes.

The proposed law has been widely publicised with posters and leaflets across the city.

The law is being put forward because authorities say the ‘curves of a woman’s body’ are more visible when straddling a bike than when sitting sideways.

Straddling is also said to provoke male drivers and puts women in an 'undesirable' situation.  

Lhokseumawe major Suaidi Yahya says, straddling goes against Islamic teachings.

“It’s an improvement to Islamic Aceh culture, a culture that has nearly vanished here.”

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that practices Shariah law alongside national law.

New bylaws have been passed to regulate public morality ever since.

The straddle-ban is not the only regional law that discriminates against women.

In 2010, West Aceh authorities banned women from wearing tight jeans and shorts.

And last year, a 16-year old girl committed suicide after the Shariah Police arrested her at a music concert and wrongly accused her of prostituting herself.

Indonesian NGO Kontras recently reported that the number of incidents of violence as a result of Shariah law in Aceh increased last year – with a total of 50 cases.

Destika Gilang Lestari is Kontras coordinator in Aceh.

“There’s been an increase in cases. The victims are often beaten by the police and the public. There were 16 cases of public beatings, and in some cases they were soaked in water from the sewer.”

Malaysia, which also implements Shariah law, forbids and arrests people for side-saddling.

Muslim scholars say that the way you ride a motorbike is not regulated by Shariah law and there’s no mention of it in the Koran.

But the authorities in Lhokseumawe will go ahead with the proposed law. It will be assessed in a months time, and then adopted as a bylaw.

Lhokseumawe Regional Secretary Dasni Yuzar says they’re ready with a list of punishments.

“The very least would be to morally sanction the practice....to make it socially unacceptable for women to straddle motorbikes in Lhokseumawe. We have advised people and instructed public servants to make sure that women are not straddling motorbikes. We can humiliate, warn or stop women who continue to straddle.”

The National Commission on Violence Against Women says the policy discriminates against women in the name of religion and morality.

Local activist Suraiya Kamaruzzaman says the government has many more important things to do than worry about how women should sit on a motorcycle.

“Northern Aceh, including Lhokseumawe, has experienced some of the worst affects of decades of conflict in the province. There are many things still to do, such as restoring the rights of the victims. And Lhokseumawe is a cities with lots of poor villages. So the straddle-ban for women on motorbikes doesn’t address the basic needs of the people, something that should be the government’s main priority.”

The central government promises to review the law once it is passed.

Interior Minister Gamawan Fauzi said that like all regional laws, it must be assessed by the Ministry.

“It will be reviewed to see whether the bylaw is too much or whether it is to maintain the tradition, or if it implies that women are inviting crimes. It should be studied first to find out what the purpose of the regulation is. We will go through the standard procedure to evaluate and verify local regulations. It takes up to 1 month. It takes around 14 days to review a regional law.”

But Acehnese women like Rina are now worried about their safety on the back of a motorbike.

“When riding a motorbike, it’s more comfortable wearing trousers. It’s dangerous to wear a long skirt because the skirt could get caught in the wheels. I did that the other day and I almost fell off. That’s why I prefer wearing trousers and straddling. It’s more comfortable for me.”