Indonesia's minister will study a controversial regulation

Indonesia's home minister will study a controversial regulation introduced by North Acheh's Lhokseumawe municipal council which recently banned women from straddling while riding pillion on motorcycles.

"Must study first, whether it is connected to tradition or there are certain motives in the regulation," said Gamawan Fauzi at Bogor Palace on Monday when asked by journalists to comment on the regulation.

Gamawan, who was at the palace to attend a cabinet meeting on politics and security, said he wanted to know if the ban was related to the question of protecting local traditions, or merely an excuse that women were the cause of incidents of crime.

If an evaluation found the regulation had more negative aspects, it would be revoked, said the minister.

The ban against women straddling motorcycles while riding pillion was made through a circular by the Lhokseumawe local authorities early this month, in that it was to protect women, and that it was not suitable with Acheh's Islamic culture.

Lhokseumawe mayor Suaidi Yahya was reported as saying last week that women in the town must not straddle the motorcycle while riding pillion because it could arouse men.

As such, he said, they should sit side-saddle when riding pillion, but flexibility was given to women who rode their own motorcycles as they could straddle the machine.