Ahmad Dhani’s controversial statement during a parliamentary session regarding the naturalization of football players has drawn a response from Dr. Hastanti Widy Nugroho, S.S., M.Hum., a lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy, Universitas Gadjah Mada, specializing in feminism. She highlighted various problematic aspects of Dhani’s remarks, from a misunderstanding of the concept of naturalization to patriarchal and discriminatory views toward women.
During the session, Ahmad Dhani proposed that the government allocate funds for a program to naturalize senior football players from other countries and arrange their marriages with Indonesian women in hopes of producing children who could become skilled football players. According to Widy, this statement reflects Ahmad Dhani’s deeply patriarchal and discriminatory way of thinking.
“When it comes to marriage, he can make a statement like that. In feminism, this is called misogyny—a hatred, contempt, and prejudice against women. Women are perceived merely in terms of the kitchen, well, and bed, or in biological terms, reduced to reproduction. The issue of polygamy is suddenly linked to football—how absurd is that?” Widy explained.
She expressed disappointment that such a proposal came from a legislator who holds influence and an important position in Indonesia. As an academic teaching Feminism, Widy also voiced concerns about the mentality and quality of lawmakers who demonstrate a poor understanding of women’s rights.
“If this is considered ‘out of the box,’ then the question is: which box are we talking about? This is an example of how deeply entrenched patriarchy is in society. If someone like this becomes a legislator, gains followers, and continuously promotes patriarchal values, then the future of Indonesian women is bleak,” she said.
Widy also pointed out that Dhani’s comments regarding the skin color of naturalized football players leaned toward racism. Furthermore, she argued that Ahmad Dhani had fundamentally misunderstood the concept of nationalism. Naturalization, she explained, is not a reproductive project—bringing in foreigners to produce offspring. When someone chooses a particular nationality, it should be based on love for their ancestral land or the place where they live.
As someone who follows Indonesian football, Widy compared Ahmad Dhani’s perspective with the experiences of naturalized football players. She cited Maarten Paes as an example, who chose to become an Indonesian citizen and was moved to tears when the song Tanah Airku was played.
“It wasn’t just because his grandmother lived in Kediri and he had nostalgic ties to the city. More than that, the moment showed his deep love for the country—a love he still holds to this day. And that is the concept Ahmad Dhani has either forgotten or failed to understand,” she concluded.