Fall in number of women councilors 'saddening'
JAKARTA (JP): A noted scholar lamented yesterday the decrease in women councilors from 12 during the previous term to eight.
All 75 new councilors were sworn in by chief of the Jakarta High Court, Soegiarto, on behalf of Chief Justice Sarwata, in a special plenary session yesterday.
Saparinah Sadli, chairperson of the Women Studies Program at the University of Indonesia's Post Graduate School, said the decrease in women councilors was "saddening".
"How can women prove there's a partnership between men and women, as highly stated, if we're not given the attention and the opportunities. This is a setback," Saparinah told The Jakarta Post.
During the May 29 general election, the three contestants -- the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the United Development Party (PPP) and Golkar -- competed for 60 council seats. The 15 other seats were reserved for the Armed Forces (ABRI), whose members did not vote.
PPP won 20 council seats, Golkar 39 and PDI one.
However, only eight of 75 council seats were allotted to women councilors for the 1997 to 2002 office term.
Saparinah said women had the same ability as men and, even though no laws discriminated against them, women's political opportunities were limited.
Many voiced the need to raise women's participation in politics, she said.
"However, conditions are not as we had expected. The number of women councilors decreased, even though half the voters in the city are women," Saparinah said.
According to City Population Agency data from 1994, out of the city's 7.6 million people, 3.6 million were women.
She said that, according to the country's guidelines, women's participation in politics should be increased and there should be a partnership between men and women.
"So all that stuff about participation is nonsense," said Saparinah, who is also a member of the National Commission on Human Rights.
As a result, women's roles in determining the municipality's policies, including voicing women's needs and fighting for their interests, would decrease too, she said.
"Women's interests are different from men's. With the decrease of women councilors to represent them, there will be less attention and opportunities given to them," Saparinah said.
State Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi, who is one of two women ministers in the current 39-member cabinet, earlier raised concern over the limited opportunities given to women involved in politics.
The eight women councilors are Chisbiyah Rochim, Faizah Fachruddin and Mulyaningsih, of PPP, and Widami Daryoto, Silviana Murni, Misnar Ma'roef Bachtiar, Wien Ritola and Ida Noor of Golkar.
Of the 12 women councilors who previously served on the council, one was from PPP, six from Golkar, three from PDI and one from ABRI. (ste)