File photo of a mosque in Indonesia. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
It was just the latest attempt by Rusli Habibie to encourage government employees in Gorontalo province -- which is mainly Muslim like most parts of the vast archipelago -- to stay faithful.
He enacted a local law earlier this month requiring all government employees regularly to pray together and attend half-hour sermons each Friday in the hope it would discourage them from cheating on spouses.
"I have heard so many reports of married civil servants cheating. They have one girlfriend or boyfriend one day, and another the next. They are not allowed to do this," Habibie told AFP.
"Their behaviour is destroying the image of the government. They cannot do this," he added, rejecting criticism that infidelity was a private matter.
In March last year Habibie gave instructions that male civil servants' salaries be paid into their wives' bank accounts to stop them spending cash on their mistresses, saying men with money were "unable to control themselves".
In July he banned male employees from having female secretaries.
He said the secretaries often became the men's mistresses and were given gifts of "perfume and branded bags" while their wives were neglected.
COMMENTS (10)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Excellento! Bravo! Viva! Rusli Habibie Shabash! You are a brave and intrepid man. A very candid step to shame both sexes, especially men; whether raunchy or not. Its high time that adultery took a cold shower and men stay faithful to their wives and secretaries find husbands. Otherwise, inform the press who will publish all the sexcting details and sales will skyrocket. Oh boy! What a feild day. Salams
what about Pakistani civil servants and parliamentarians involvement in adultery?....a few months back a senior civil servant was burned to death in Islamabad ....
2 common problems of Muslims
A) Everybody thinks anybody's personal life is THEIR problem and will do anything/everything to fix it as they seem right.
B) Just pray and pray and do nothing practical to solve any issues.
Belief overshadows any practical input/effort which is not what the religion says in the first place. Miracles don't happen, just because you are Muslim, your problems won't be solved. There are billions others who survive and who and not Muslim.
The fate of the people in Indonesia is that, there are leaders either most corrupt or foolish. Going into personal life of people is nothing but violation of human rights and dignity.
Need a lot of prayers it seems. By the way, the Governor's database on this specific issue seems like a treasure trove.