My first marriage ended due to 'parti yeye', says ex-wife of army captain

 

An ex-wife of an army captain said her marriage fell apart after about 18 months, allegedly due to wild party habits among military officers.

“My first marriage crumbled because of ‘parti yeye’ culture in the armed forces,” said the woman, who only wished to be identified as Zhane.

The 37-year-old teacher met her ex-husband when they were still studying before getting married in 2012.

She had suspected her then-husband’s activities from the early stages of their marriage, but she said she decided to give him a chance and avoid embarrassing him.

However, the situation deteriorated when she stumbled upon a spare phone that was allegedly hidden inside the officer’s backpack.

Suspicious, Zhane, who was pregnant at the time, checked the device before discovering an exchange of intimate messages between the officer and another woman.

“I then used the phone to text that woman. I introduced myself (as his wife) and politely told her to stay away from my husband.

“But instead of stopping, I learned the woman had been going in and out of the base’s officers’ mess hall more frequently after that,” she told Malaysiakini.

Zhane claimed that based on her own investigation and information shared by neighbours in the army housing complex, her ex-husband had been involved with at least three “yeye girls” during parties held inside a Johor military base.

Inaction by top brass

The camp’s top brass allegedly knew about these parties but purportedly chose not to act on the matter.

Zhane said she tried to go through the proper channel, reporting the problem up the chain of command, but to no avail.

“I did some digging about immoral activities inside the camp, because as a wife, I also want to find out what I can do to rectify the situation and improve myself.

“The more I dig, the more I find out (about such activities), including ugly (social media) posts by ‘yeye girls’ who could simply go in and out of the officers’ mess hall.

“Who gave them permission? Because a military base is supposed to be a restricted area for civilians,” she asked.

Their marriage issues reached their peak in 2013 when Zhane pretended to return to her hometown and caught her former spouse in the act.

She said she then confronted the officer and an alleged “yeye girl”, which led to a brawl between the two women at the camp’s parade square and ultimately, a divorce.

‘Blessing in disguise’

Zhane, who has since remarried, believed the recent viral social media posts on “parti yeye” culture are a blessing in disguise for the wives and families who had been suffering.

She claimed the problem had persistently affected military families for decades despite numerous complaints.

Calling it “budaya sampah” (rotten culture), the woman expressed hope that the armed forces and Defence Ministry would eradicate the problem once and for all.

“This has been happening for decades, and has been raised in discussions among army wives and young officers.

“If this issue had not gone viral, I don’t think any action would have been taken to stop this. Internal whistleblowers were often silenced, and sometimes even subjected to threats.”

Good officers face pressure

The mother of six, however, stressed that not all military officers are involved in such activities.

She said many good officers refused to join “parti yeye” despite facing pressure and repercussions.

“It is all up to the leadership of the battalion. If you get a boss who is good and cares about the welfare of his officers and their families, it is a blessing.

“Kagat (Armed Forces' Islamic Services Corps) should also be empowered so it can curb this problem from getting worse,” Zhane added.

She also urged the armed forces to be more supportive of the welfare of military families, including after separation.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the armed forces for a response.

Allegations that “parti yeye” were still being held in officers’ mess halls surfaced over the weekend on social media, with some users publishing pictures of such events and urging the authorities to investigate.

Some netizens also claimed that low-ranking officers were forced to provide alcoholic drinks and women from outside the camps for their superiors.

This prompted the Defence Ministry to order an investigation into the matter. - Mkini