Bill talks adjourned over quota for women<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Deliberation on a political party bill was adjourned until Monday
\nafter some members of a House special committee in charge of the
\ndraft protested a decision made during closed-door meetings to
\ndrop articles that ensure women fill 30 percent of the seats in
\nlegislative bodies.<\/p>\n
Committee members agreed earlier to insert an article stating
\nthat women should have 30 percent of the legislative posts, but
\nit was dropped after a series of closed-door meetings held by
\ncommittee leaders.<\/p>\n
\"I question this decision. Why, after a series of closed-door
\nmeetings, has that article been deleted?\" legislator Nurdiati
\nAkma of the Reform faction asked during a meeting on Friday.<\/p>\n
Nurdiati also questioned a clause in the explanation section
\nsuggesting that gender equality could be achieved through the
\nimprovement of quantity and quality of women on all boards of
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
\"This is annoying. I want an explanation,\" she said.<\/p>\n
But fellow female legislator Eka Komariah Kuncoro of Golkar
\nsaid that she could accept the decision, adding that all she
\nneeded was the commitment of political parties and the government
\nto ensure that women were represented in politics.<\/p>\n
Responding to the protest, chairman of special committee for
\npolitical parties bill Yahya Zaini said that this issue would be
\ndiscussed at the next meeting.<\/p>\n
Currently, the number of women in politics is low. The non-
\ngovernmental organization, the Network of Women and Politics,
\nnoted that the last eight general elections, from 1955 to 1999,
\nshowed that the number of women in legislative bodies was 8.8
\npercent in the House of Representatives (DPR), 6 percent in the
\nProvincial Legislative Council (DPRD I) and 2.5 percent in the
\nRegional Legislative Council (DPRD II).<\/p>\n
Although the incumbent president is a woman, her ascent to the
\npresidential post did not inspire women to take an active role in
\nthe country's political scene.<\/p>\n
Friday's meeting was supposed to close deliberations on the
\npolitical party bill, but because legislators failed to reach an
\nagreement on some issues, including that on women in politics,
\nthe meeting was adjourned until Monday.<\/p>\n
All factions except for the National Awakening Party (FKB)
\ninsist on including two decrees of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) for consideration in the political party bill.<\/p>\n
The FKB opposed the move, saying that there was no need to
\ninsert them.<\/p>\n
The two decrees are TAP XXV\/MPRS\/1966 on the dissolution of
\nthe Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the restriction of
\ncommunism, Marxism\/Leninism and TAP X\/MPR\/2001 on the annual
\nreport of state institutions.<\/p>\n
The political party bill also stipulates that the supervision
\nof political parties will be carried out by three different
\ninstitutions: the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; the
\nGeneral Elections Commission (KPU); and the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights will be responsible
\nfor examining the administrative requirements of political
\nparties, while the KPU will be authorized to assess the financial
\nreports of political parties and the reports on campaign funds.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Home Affairs, on the other hand, will be
\nresponsible for assessing possible violations of rules on the
\nactivities, fund sources and ideologies of political parties.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bill-talks-adjourned-over-quota-for-women-1447893297",
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