Taken from channelnewsasia.com
"
Divorces up 10-fold in Indonesia due to greater awareness of women's rights
By Sujadi Siswo, Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief | Posted: 04 February 2009 1424 hrs
JAKARTA: Greater democracy could be taking its toll on the world's most populous Muslim nation of 230 million people.
More marriages broke down in Indonesia in the last decade - after the country underwent political reform.
And some couples have cited political differences for the divorce.
In a Jakarta Post report, latest figures from Indonesia's Religious Affairs Ministry show that divorce cases have increased by 10 fold.
Out of two million marriages each year - 200,000 were annulled, up from just 20,000, 10 years ago.
Polygamy is the most cited reason for divorce - which officials say could be due to greater awareness of women's rights.
Rights groups have applauded the development which underlines the greater economic independence and higher education attained by Indonesian women.
- CNA/yb
"
It is easy to get married in Indonesia, since human value is well... cheap also, but it is extremely hard to maintain it.
In a rural part of Indonesia, I've seen girl as old as me, but already gotten married and divorced twice. It gave me hard hit in chest as I saw her sitting down in front of her house, while caring for her babies. In her very productive years, and that all she could do? Given the chance she might end up as rocket scientist.
After I've been exposed to different point of view, I must indeed acknowledge that polygamy is not as bad as it seems. But it should be practiced in a correct manner.
We have given some examples that polygamy was not practiced in its noble purpose: to develop compassion towards widows and orphans.
Let's take "king of dangdut" example, he conducted "nikah siri" with Angel Lelga who in my opinion is a way lot hotter than the king's first wife.
I still remember this interesting question asked by Maudy Kusnaedi on Metro TV to "successful grilled chicken restaurant owner": "Would you take prostitutes as your number X wife?" And the grilled-chicken-restaurant-owner answered "No".
So what's the point? Men only want to marry decent-religious-better looks-than-the-first-wife woman. That what exactly make "man is a jerk" term.
That will explain why "owner of pesantren in Bandung"'s reputation plunge into void when he was married to his second wife. Should his second wife is a widow, or older than his first wife, I think his popularity will soar up to kingdom come.
Cited the news above, I don't think this statement true: "Polygamy is the most cited reason for divorce - which officials say could be due to greater awareness of women's rights." Polygamy is the most cited reason because a lot of men who conduct it are simply jerks.
