Indonesian Anti-Cheating Policy Will Send Men's Salaries Directly To Wives

The provincial government of Gorontalo in northern Indonesia will begin depositing the salaries of civil servants directly into their wives' bank accounts as part of an effort to crack down on unfaithful husbands and ensure spouses and children have enough money for food and other essentials, the BBC reports.

The policy, introduced by newly-elected Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie, will be implemented next week and will take full effect in March, according to the Jakarta Globe.

A spokesman for the Habibie administration said the governor has received complaints from wives that their husbands give them limited money for meals and expenses and had blocked access to bank accounts, possibly because they were trying to conceal affairs.

"We are very concerned about the issue. Thus, we believe it would be best if salaries of male, married civil servants are paid through their wives' accounts," spokesman Rudi Iriawan told the BBC. "Every cent from the salary can be used to cover household expenses instead of other things such as financing extra-marital affairs."

Some parts of Gorontalo may already be familiar with the policy.

When Rudi was serving as a district head of North Gorontalo three years ago, he reportedly instituted a similar policy amid "lots of complaints coming from the wives of male civil servants after not getting any money nor allowance from their husbands to buy daily staples," according to the Jakarta Globe.

It's unclear how easy it will be to implement the new policy, as government officials are exploring ways to encourage civil servants' wives to sign up for bank accounts and check to see if their husbands' salaries have been deposited.

But Bernama Media reported that the government is currently collecting financial data on its married employees and will begin depositing salary and allowances into wives' bank accounts on the first day of each month.