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Globe Members believe in our mission to build a more informed, inclusive and sustainable Southeast Asia and work closely with our team to shape our editorial direction and hold us accountable. U ntil , Indonesian pilgrims seeking good fortune in the world of business would partake in an ancient tradition: sex with a stranger, at least seven times, at the tomb of Prince Samodra on Mount Kemukus. The practice arose from the Kebatinan belief system β a Javanese blend of animistic, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic ideals β but was banned by the Central Java governor, who saw it as hazardous to health and morals.
The prohibition of this salacious, and admittedly rather extreme, sexual tradition was an early indicator of a religiously inspired fervour that would soon stretch across the archipelagic nation, where self-appointed upholders of moral standards are increasingly intervening in the private lives of Indonesian citizens.
An ongoing judicial review of the adultery, rape and paedophilia laws comes as the result of lobbying by conservative Islamic advocacy groups such as the Family Love Alliance. If proposed amendments are passed, all sex outside of wedlock and all same-sex relations would be criminalised. Early court hearings have already taken place, and a decision could be handed down as early as this month.
On one hand, sex is associated with morality and taboo. There are more than 62 million single men and women between the ages of 15 and 45 living in the country, according to the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey, meaning a wide swathe of the population could be affected by the change.
