A smart book for women to enter politics
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hopefully the field of politics will seem more attractive to women after the launching of a book titled Modul Perempuan Untuk Politik: Sebuah Panduan Tentang Partisipasi Perempuan Dalam Politik (Module for Women in Politics: A Guidebook on Women's Participation in Politics).
Women interested in politics can find explanations on current issues, such as reproductive health, family welfare, child protection, sexual violence, women and child trafficking, and affirmative action such as the 30 percent quota for women in the legislature in the 82-page book.
The book, published by Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan (Women's Journal Foundation) and funded by The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), says those specific issues can be effectively addressed by women.
"That's why Indonesia needs more woman politicians and women who are concerned on those issues. It should be started now! Who is concerned about the fate of women other than women? Hoping that men will become concerned about the matter is a dream," the foundation's executive director, Adriana Venny, said in the book's introduction.
Adriana said women's politics was about simple and daily affairs, including what food to put on the table while the husband in engrossed in gambling; or how to pay school fees and the rights of a woman whose husband has remarried.
The book also gives a background on why politics sidelined women in the past, and until now to a certain degree, and why women are not interested in politics.
In a patriarchal society, politics is basically considered as a public domain and women are expected to take care mainly of the domestic domain. Women are discriminated against politically, socially and culturally.
Discrimination is still going on although Indonesia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Law No. 7/1984.
To eradicate the discrimination and change state policies, which are unfair to women, women can take advocation measures through four fora; the legislative branch of the government, the executive branch of the government, public organizations and media.
Generally, women can change such public policies by becoming members of political parties or members of the legislative; or joining non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The book listed several issues for women both in NGOs and the legislative body should fight for; domestic violence, women's health, elimination of racial and ethnic discrimination, review of marriage law and migrant worker protection.
It also provided a list of women who were elected as members for the House of Representatives and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) during the April 5 legislative election.
Aiming to attract women into politics, the book also listed several international women leaders and their contributions to politics, such as Elisabeth Domitien of The Republic of Central Africa, Sirimavo Bandaraneike of Sri Lanka, Vigdis Finbogadottir of Iceland, Margaret Thatcher of England and Golda Meir of Israel.
Generally, this is an inspiring book for women who want to enter politics.