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Gerindra politician considers filing report over alleged sexual harassment
Gerindra Party politician and South Tangerang deputy mayor candidate Rahayu Saraswati says she is upset that a certain politician objectifies women.
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Gerindra Party lawmaker Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo. (Kompas.com/File)
Gerindra Party lawmaker Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo is considering to file a police report against two other politicians for alleged sexual harassment on Twitter.
Democratic Party politician Cipta Panca Laksana tweeted on his personal Twitter account @Panca66: “The thighs of a South Tangerang deputy mayor candidate are so smooth.” It was later retweeted by former State-Owned Enterprises Ministry secretary Muhammad Said Didu.
While Cipta did not mention the candidate by name, many believed he was referring to Rahayu since she was the only female candidate running for the South Tangerang deputy mayor’s seat. Cipta also wrote the tweet several hours after she posted photos of herself running in a pair of jogging shorts to her social media accounts
Cipta’s tweet has been deleted.
Rahayu wrote on her Facebook account on Monday that she was “upset because there’s a politician who objectifies women, including those running in a regional election.”
“I’m also considering to [report this incident to law enforcers],” Rahayu wrote in the statement.
Read also: Virtual harassment rampant during work-from-home, survey finds
She added that she believed the incident was only the tip of the iceberg of sexual harassment against women, as the sexual objectification of women had become a norm within society.
Rahayu said she was triggered by several comments from social media users suggesting the incident had occurred due to the photo of her wearing jogging shorts.
“If you have an opinion on what clothes someone should wear, it’s your right and I won’t judge you on that. But I believe that everyone has the right to wear whatever clothes they desire without having to experience harassment or discrimination,” said Rahayu.
Rahayu will run as a candidate for South Tangerang deputy mayor in the upcoming regional election. She is running in the election with Muhamad and they are backed by Gerindra and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
