Indonesians Chided for Their Partying, and That’s Not All

Indonesians have too many parties, talk too much when they are supposed to be working and should spend less time on the toilet, Foreign Minister Mochtar Kusumaatmadja said today.

“If you go to the toilet, do not sit there too long. That is not necessary. That kind of attitude is not what Indonesia wants,” Mochtar told an election rally.

He was quoted in the Jakarta Post as saying Indonesians waste too much time both at home and at work, spending all their time chatting. If they did not hold so many parties they would be able to afford to buy a house or car, he said.

“When you go dating, you make a party. When you get married you hold a gala. When your wife becomes pregnant you hold a party. Some people hold a series of parties to celebrate a pregnancy. . . . All these parties do not have to be held at all,” the 58-year-old minister said.