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House finds Ahmad Dhani guilty of ethics breach
The House ethics council has ordered Gerindra lawmaker Ahmad Dhani to issue a public apology for derogatory comments he made on two separate occasions, which it ruled was a violation of the legislature's code of ethics.
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Ahmad Dhani, a House of Representatives lawmaker from the Gerindra Party, attends an ethics hearing on May 7, 2025, at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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he House of Representatives Ethics Council has ordered Ahmad Dhani, a musician turned lawmaker from the Gerindra Party and member of on House Commission X overseeing education, sports, science and technology, to issue a public apology within seven days for derogatory comments he made on two separate occasions.
"The [council] has concluded that Ahmad Dhani violated the House's code of ethics," council chair Nazaruddin Dek Gam said at an ethics hearing on Wednesday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
"[Dhani] must issue a public apology to the complainants within seven days."
During a public discussion last month, Dhani mocked the surname of singer-songwriter Rayen Pono by referring to it as "porno”.
Rayen filed a complaint with both the National Police and the House ethics council, saying the snub was an insult to the Pono indigenous community of East Nusa Tenggara, from which he hails.
In a separate incident during a Commission X meeting with the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) in March, Dhani criticized the governing body’s naturalization policy for foreign players, as "Caucasian individuals with blonde hair and blue eyes" was not representative of national identity.
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He also suggested that "widowed" foreign players aged over 40 should be “paired” with Indonesian women and expressed hope that the offspring of such a union would become future members of the national soccer team, prompting an angry response from women's rights activists.
Dhani maintained during his ethics hearing that he was innocent of any misconduct and defended his controversial remarks about naturalized players, saying he had not violated any laws.
"I’m not suggesting adultery, I merely proposed matchmaking," he told the hearing.
Regarding his bastardization of Rayen Pono’s name, Dhani said it was a "slip of the tongue”.
The lawmaker issued a public apology following the council’s ruling.
"As a member of the House and the Gerindra Party, I apologize to all those affected, especially the complainants.
"I deeply regret what was a slip of the tongue that caused offense to a respected clan. I have never, in my 53 years, intentionally belittled any clan, noble or otherwise," he said.
