Constitution 'must meet women's aspirations'<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The country's obsolete Constitution must either be amended or
\nreplaced with one that protects the interests and rights of
\nIndonesian women, an activist says.<\/p>\n
The executive director of the Indonesian Center for
\nEnvironmental Law (ICEL), Wiwiek Awiati, told The Jakarta Post on
\nSunday the 1945 Constitution offered little protection to the
\ncountry's women, who account for more than 50 percent of
\nIndonesia's 214 million citizens.<\/p>\n
\"We want protection for human rights, including the protection
\nof women and the environment,\" said Wiwiek, adding that the
\ncurrent Constitution provides only general, vague guarantees for
\nwomen.<\/p>\n
She also said woman representatives should be included if an
\nindependent commission is formed to either amend the existing
\nConstitution or draft a new one, in order to accommodate the
\naspirations of women and guarantee gender equality.<\/p>\n
ICEL is one of 62 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that
\nhave been campaigning since 2000 for the establishment of a
\nconstitutional commission to amend or replace the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
This coalition of NGOs has proposed that a 99-member
\ncommission be set up to draft a new constitution. Commission
\nmembers would consist of two representatives from each province,
\nwith one representative being a woman, and independent scholars.<\/p>\n
According to Wiwiek, the inclusion of women's interests in an
\namended or new constitution can only be guaranteed if the
\namendment or drafting process is done by an independent
\ncommission.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Saldi Isra of Andalas University in Padang, West
\nSumatra, said regions must participate in drafting a new
\nconstitution to protest regional interests and avoid overlapping
\nauthority between the central government and regional
\nadministrations.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a constitutional expert urged the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) on Saturday to support the passage of
\na transitional constitution, in order to prevent a deadlock in
\ndeliberations of the amendments to the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
A transitional constitution must also be passed to provide a
\nfoundation for the 2004 elections, said Hadar N. Gumay of the
\nCenter for Electoral Reform (Cetro).<\/p>\n
\"At least, there has to be minimum requirement for the amended
\nConstitution, which is to provide the foundation for the 2004
\nelections,\" Hadar told journalists after addressing a discussion
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Bills on elections and the composition of the MPR are being
\ndeliberated by the government, and are expected to be submitted
\nto the House of Representatives in early May. However, because
\nthe bills must be in accordance with the Constitution, they
\ncannot be passed until the MPR amends the 1945 Constitution,
\nwhich will happen in August at the earliest.<\/p>\n
And there is increasing concern that the current
\nconstitutional amendment process could become deadlocked, which
\nwould leaving the 2004 general election in limbo because of the
\nabsence of any legal infrastructure.<\/p>\n
To prevent a deadlock, some quarters, including MPR Speaker
\nAmien Rais, who is also the chairman of the National Mandate
\nParty (PAN), and Cetro, have urged MPR members to declare the
\namended 1945 Constitution a transitional document.<\/p>",
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