TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Owners apologize after lavish dog ‘wedding’ backlash
Two Alaskan Malamutes were wedded on Friday at a mall while dressed in traditional Javanese costumes alongside their owners and relatives at a fake ceremony that reportedly cost Rp 200 million (US$13,350).
Change Size
T
wo Jakarta women have apologized after a lavish “wedding” for their dogs sparked a backlash across a country that continues to struggle with widespread poverty.
Two Alaskan Malamutes were wedded on Friday at a mall while dressed in traditional Javanese costumes alongside their owners and relatives at a fake ceremony that reportedly cost Rp 200 million (US$13,350).
A social media uproar followed after images emerged of the wolf-like dogs taking each other's paws in marriage at the extravagant ceremony, forcing the owners into a contrite news conference.
"We regret it very much and we would like to apologize for the Javanese culture enthusiasts and all Indonesians who were uncomfortable and hurt by the event," Indira Ratnasari, owner of female dog Luna, said on Wednesday.
"We had no intention of insulting Indonesian and the Javanese cultures," she said, according to footage posted on her makeup artist's Instagram account.
Ostentatious displays of wealth in Indonesia have recently become more frowned upon and are often criticized because of the country’s widening income gap.
The minimum monthly wage in Jakarta is Rp 4.9 million and the World Bank last year said nearly a tenth of Indonesia's 270 million people still live below the poverty line.
Indira is on the payroll of the presidential office, according to media reports.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo warned public officials in a March speech not to flaunt their extravagant lives in "improper" ways, including social media posts.
Valentine Cahandra, owner of the male dog Jojo, claimed the wedding took place to promote Javanese culture.
But angry netizens took to social media to condemn the expensive canine nuptials.
"It's wasting money and defying God. Common sense has gone, trampled by the desire to show off," one Twitter user posted.
Another wrote: "Unnecessarily wasting their wealth, they should have helped people in need instead."
"Is this what we call 'social blindness'?"
