West Java’s Governor appearance in Universitas Padjadjaran’s last day of Orientation Week at (8/15). (Warta Kema/Ahmad Zaki Burhani)

This article contains a few sentences which could be triggering for survivors of sexual harassment. Please be mindful while reading.

Warta Kema – The arrival of West Java’s Governor, Dedi Mulyadi, at Universitas Padjadjaran’s student orientation week, Penerimaan Raya Mahasiswa Baru (Prabu), should have been an inspiring and motivating moment for the freshmen to experience. Unfortunately, many of them have felt ridiculed and even outright disgusted by the Governor’s sexist remarks which were thrown at his appearance on that big day.

Sexism, in its own terminology, refers to a suit of action consisting of prejudices, stereotyping, or discrimination that is typically used against women on the basis of sex. It is a harmful reminder of how society viewed women daily. According to Heather Savigny, in an article he published on Wiley, Sexism is the expression of a biological assumption of male superiority and female inferiority. In essence, sexism is discrimination that is based on assumptions about biological sex which give rise to the belief that men are superior to women.

Though many movements have arisen in the name of protecting women’s rights against discrimination and prejudices, sexism is still a heavy trend in society. Misogyny and male supremacism have caused major blame shifts of such incidents from the perpetrators themselves (mainly men) towards the women who are victims of abuse and/or assaults, and have contributed to the rise of many sexist terms.

In the case of Dedi Mulyadi, he has been known to make sexist remarks toward women. For example, through his social media account @dedimulyadiofficial on TikTok, he had once said, “Lebih baik sekolah di usia muda daripada janda di usia muda,” which gained an immediate response from the National Commission on Violence Against Women.

The above statement, which translated as “it’s better to go to school at a young age than be a single wife at a young age,” has been condemned as sexist due to the stigma surrounding single wives in Indonesia, a predominantly patriarchal society where women are often seen as powerless without the protection of men. Not only that, single wives have been labeled as “used goods”, a symbol of bad omen, and even a “husband-stealer” or “pelakor” in Indonesian terminology.

On Universitas Padjadjaran’s last day of orientation week, his custom continued by, yet again, throwing sexist remarks in front of thousands of freshmen who attended Prabu. 

Sentences like “Jantan” dan “Betina” while referring to men and women, asking freshmen—and especially a woman, at that—“where” they were made, and wishing he could be a college student again so that he could find “jodoh” were thrown and even recorded in a live streaming platform on YouTube. 

“Bapak kamu istrinya orang Sumedang, (terus bapak kamu) cari kerjaan, dapet di lampung. Kamu dibikinnya di sumedang apa di lampung?” He had asked the freshmen, which translated to “Your dad’s wife is from Sumedang, then your dad looked for a job and got one in Lampung. So, were you made in Sumedang or in Lampung?”

The wording of the sentence itself felt off, since he used “dibikin” or “made” instead of “birthed”. And when the freshmen answered that she was born in Lampung, the Governor asked again, “berarti dibikin di Lampung?” which translated to, “so you were made in Lampung?”

Not only were his remarks deemed sexist, but they were also downright misogynistic and could even be counted as sexual harassment towards freshly graduated students who attended the event.

Among approximately 11.000 freshmen who got admitted, a large majority of them are women. In addition,  a large partof them are still under the legal age, which could also count as an objectification of minors when he said he wished he could be a college student again to date the freshmen. Not only are his remarks incredibly disturbing, but they are also heavily triggering for survivors amongst thousands of freshmen and the committee who attended the event.

Many of these freshmen have loudly expressed their disgust and discomfort towards many of his remarks on the X social media platform. A great deal, in the past, have criticized his objectifying remarks. Infamous for his nefarious remarks towards women.

His existing reputation should be questioned why the rectory, as a party who holds responsibility in handling this event, invited him as a speaker in an event held to welcome thousands of admitted freshmen, while the university itself holds a motto of being a place of inclusivity?

Cawokah: the plead of defense in the name of preserving cultural heritage.

As a figure of authority who had been called out by the National Commission on Violence Against Women because he had once thrown sexist remarks in front of the ministry, the West Java’s Governor pleaded defense on his actions, saying that his remarks—Cawokah, as he called it—have been a commonplace amongst Sundanese people.

Cawokah itself refers to a distinctive branch of communication among Sundanese people, specifically a cultural expression of humour that touches on the theme of marriage and genitals, but it is packaged implicitly. In an article written by Triyanto, he explained that there is a distinction between Cawokah and Jorang, which is an even vulgar expression of humour. Ridhazia, in an article he wrote on Bandungpos.id, also said that Cawokah could even lift the other party’s mood.

Now, the real question is, can the governor’s remarks truly be called Cawokah? Dedi Mulyadi has expressed these remarks—to which he then pleaded defense as an expression of Cawokah in Sundanese culture—multiple times in an inappropriate time and place. The closest example is when he had said such remarks in front of thousands of freshmen. Another is when he had said it in front of the minister themselves. And lastly, in front of the women who received his help. 

Amongst those examples, and these expressions and remarks ever truly lifted a person’s mood, if he did intend to do that? Matter of fact, based on his recent visit to Universitas Padjadjaran, many, instead, felt disgusted and uncomfortable by his remarks. Despite the original intended reaction studied from a cultural context aside, we should also consider that even Cawokah has a lot of sexist nuance and even misogynistic to some extent.

Nonetheless, as a governor of West Java himself, Dedi Mulyadi should reflect on the fact that these jokes he considered harmless have brought discomfort to many women, which are often placed as the butt of many ‘jokes’. Because, nevertheless, if he indeed claims that these are jokes, aren’t people supposed to laugh along instead of chuckling in discomfort?  

Author: Aisyah Kayla Syadina
Editor: Andrea Hillary Gusandi, Syafina Ristia Putri, Ammara Azwadiena Alfiantie

Photographer: Muhammad Zaki Burhani