'Wife isn't only for sleeping with'

JAKARTA (JP): A wife is not only for sleeping with, a senior woman official said.

Mrs. E. Yogie S.M., chief of the government-sponsored Family Welfare Movement, said that village heads should utilize the full potential of their wives in contributing to their work, particularly in promoting the welfare of the people.

A wife is not simply a sleeping partner, Mrs. Yogie, wife of Minister of Home Affairs Yogie S.M., said, reported Antara.

"Besides being a housewife, she can be a partner in helping to carry out some of their husbands' tasks, including during the upcoming National Immunization program," Mrs. Yogie said during a meeting with local leaders of the welfare movement in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara province.

The leadership of the welfare movement at village level is usually given to the wife of the village head.

The welfare movement started as a grassroots movement that was later incorporated by the government. It is administered by the wives of government officials from the top, to village, level.

Given the position of the wife, a village head should accord her an appropriate role and listen to her opinions, Mrs. Yogie said.

Mrs. Yogie is currently on a nationwide campaign trail, preparing the movement's cadres for the government's massive immunization campaign against polio, which will be launched in September. (emb)