Indonesia backtracks on mini-skirt ban

“If it’s elegant, it’s certainly a sight to see” 

Indonesia’s parliament backtracked Wednesday on plans to ban female staff from wearing miniskirts following a public outcry.

House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie said Tuesday that female lawmakers and staff members would not be allowed to wear miniskirts because such clothing could invite “untoward acts” by male colleagues.

“You know men,” Alie was quoted as saying by the online news website Vivanews.com. “Wearing clothing like that could trigger them to do things.” 

But a deputy House speaker, Priyo Budisantoso, said Wednesday that miniskirts were not off limits.

“Don’t get us wrong. There are no plans to regulate miniskirts,” he said.

“If the miniskirts are within the limits of decency, it shouldn’t be a problem,” he added. “If it’s elegant, it’s certainly a sight to see.” 

The plan to curb miniskirts has been condemned by female activists and other Indonesians using social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

“Legislators are making miniskirts an excuse for their bad performance,” said a user on the networking site Twitter who goes by the name Riri.

“We easily can see that they really are without brain, like penis,” she said in English.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo last year drew condemnation after he said women should refrain from wearing revealing clothing to avoid being raped.

His comment was in response to a spate of rapes in public minivans operating late at night.