[DageDage]

Masseuse gets political with ‘kerokan’, draws Prabowo’s ballot number on unwitting customer’s back

If you’re Indonesian or have been in the country for some time, you’re most likely familiar with kerokan, the traditional Indonesian treatment in which a blunt object (usually a coin or ladle) is scratched repeatedly across one’s back. It is believed by locals to be a cure for masuk angin (a condition that literally translates to “wind entering” but resembles the common cold) but one kerokan practitioner used it to vividly convey his political preferences ahead of the election on April 17 — by using his unwitting customer’s back as a canvas.

Yesterday, a Twitter user named Aida documented her brother’s kerokan session through several Instagram story posts. The male masseuse who performed the kerokan was allegedly a “fanatic supporter” of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno, who were officially assigned the number 2 position on the ballot in the upcoming election. According to Aida’s posts, the masseuse was such a fanatic that he made sure to leave a conspicuous memento on his client’s back, the result of which have gone viral in photos shared by Aida’s friend.

“My poor brother, he had a cold, was massaged by a masseuse who was a fanatic supporter of one of the [presidential] candidates. During the massage, he kept on campaigning [for Prabowo]. I thought he would stop there, but turns out… “ Aida tweeted, adding that her brother was initially oblivious to the conspicuous kerokan mark.

“[My brother] only realized after the masseuse left. He’s been so pissed. ‘This is a violation of privacy rights and body for the sake of campaigning, without consensus’. I really don’t get people [these days],” Aida continued.

Aida said she “laughed to the point of tearing up” before it hit her that what the masseuse did was super inappropriate. She also reflected that people in general have been “excessive with their obsession” when it comes to the upcoming election.

“There’s a boundary where we should not force other people, even when we think that our choice is good or right. Respecting other people’s privacy is actually respecting our own choices. An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more,” Aida concluded her statement.

Well, regardless of who Aida’s brother actually supports, at least kerokan marks generally disappear within a few days. So it could’ve been a whole lot worse — imagine if instead of a masseuse it had been a tattooist who drew a huge “1” or “2” on their customer without their knowledge.