Palu Deputy Mayor Sigit Purnomo AKA Pasha is one of the most famous politicians in Indonesia, mainly due to his past career as the frontman of massive pop-rock outfit Ungu. Yet it appears that Pasha has not entirely let go of his pop star past, particularly in regards to his hair.
Yesterday, the Instagram account for the popular talk show “Mata Najwa” uploaded a post promoting their episode, aired yesterday, in which musicians, including Pasha, were invited for a political discussion. What immediately grabbed netizens’ attention, however, was Pasha’s new hipster-esque man-bun-with-buzzed-sides hairdo, which he sported while wearing a civil servant’s uniform.
Commenters mostly derided Pasha’s top knot look, with one saying, “So norak (lame) and inappropriate for a government official to have that kind of hair.”
Indonesia’s Home Affairs Ministry, which oversees regional government administrations, seems to agree with that assessment of Pasha’s man bun.
“Ethically, there’s a regulation to dress neatly while wearing an official uniform. Normatively, [Pasha’s hair] is not against the law, it just violates uniform ethics,” said Akmal Malik, head of Regional Heads Facilities at the Home Affairs Ministry, as quoted by Detik today.
“We will reprimand him, remind him first, because the nature [of the violation] is administrative.”
Pasha has not made any statements about his hair, including whether or not he has changed his do following the controversy.
This is not the first time the former pop star has courted controversy because of his appearance. Shortly after he was elected as the deputy mayor of Palu, North Sulawesi in 2016, he was criticized for wearing jeans and a jacket with police and military medals to work, to which he challenged anyone to present any laws making his attire illegal.
His other controversies include reuniting with his band on stage while wearing a civil servant’s uniform — though he was not sanctioned because he obtained permission from his boss — and performing with Ungu in Singapore — for which he was also not sanctioned because the gig took place on the weekend.
Controversies based on appearance aside, Pasha was last year accused by the Palu City Council of setting aside funds from the city’s budget to pay for his rent for an IDR1 billion (US$74,900) house in an affluent neighborhood in the city, which he denied.
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