‘Coronavirus is like your wife’: Indonesian Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud under fire for online remarks

‘Initially you tried to control it, then you realise that you can’t,’ Mahfud said in YouTube clip. ‘Then you learn to live with it.’

Women’s rights groups criticised Mahfud’s comments, saying they reflected both misogynistic attitudes and an incompetent response to the pandemic

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Indonesian Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud . Photo: Handout

Published: 8:03pm, 28 May 2020Updated: 8:23pm, 28 May 2020

Indonesia's security minister has been criticised sharply for comparing the novel coronavirus to a wife – in an attempt to allay public concerns about easing Covid-19 restrictions.

The Indonesian government is preparing to lift partial lockdowns in parts of the country in early June and adopt what it calls “the new normal”.

“Are we going to be holed up forever? We can adjust to the situation while still paying attention to our health,” Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud said in a video posted on YouTube on Wednesday.

“The other day I got a meme from my colleague Luhut Pandjaitan that says: ‘Corona is like your wife. Initially you tried to control it, then you realise that you can't. Then you learn to live with it’,” he said in English.

Pandjaitan is the minister for maritime affairs and investment.

The off-the-cuff remarks drew ire from women's rights groups.

“Not only does the statement reflect the incompetence of the government in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, it also demonstrates the sexist and misogynistic attitudes of public officials,” the Women's Solidarity Society said in a statement.