Female politicians 'sidelined'

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Forty years after the government declared R.A. Kartini a national heroine, Indonesian women are enjoying greater freedom and equality with their male counterparts.

Politically minded women, however, complain they are being sidelined by male-dominated political parties.

"Political parties enlist female legislative candidates just to fulfill the requirements," said Farida Sulistyani, referring to the April 5 legislative election.

Law No. 12/2003 on elections requires that 30 percent of political parties' legislative candidates are women, an affirmative measure aimed at boosting the role of women in politics. However, there is no punishment for parties that do not abide by the law.

Farida, from the Riau electoral district, was the Reform Star Party's (PBR) third candidate for the House of Representatives (DPR).

Farida, who is a lawyer, said the election law was not effective because it did not oblige political parties to place women in "secure" ranks. She was referring to the numbers given to candidates which influence their chance of election. Number one candidates, for example, have a greater chance of winning than number two candidates.

Fellow female legislative candidate, Dewi Coryati of the National Mandate Party (PAN), shared Farida's view, saying political parties enlisted female legislative candidates as it was required by law.

"I know 30 percent is too high, but parties should put 15 or 20 percent of female candidates in secure positions," she said.

Dewi, a veterinarian who ran as PAN' second seed from Bengkulu for a seat in the House, said she and her female colleagues had introduced a "female-voter-for-female-candidate" campaign in rural areas of Bengkulu in a bid to increase votes for female legislative candidates.

"We only started the program recently and the result has been satisfactory. We plan to continue the program although the election is already over," she said.

Almost 60 percent of over 147 million voters in the general election this year were female. Dewi said most female voters in the country were uneducated, rural women and the program would boost their political awareness.

Both Farida and Dewi admitted the condition in the country was not conducive to women's participation in politics. However, they claimed female politicians performed better than male politicians.

"The spirit of Kartini's fight is that women must unite to play more active roles in politics. Indonesia needs more female politicians in the House, in the local legislative councils and in the government," Dewi said.

Indonesia will celebrate Kartini Day on April 21. Kartini is perceived as a heroine who struggled for gender equality, although some female activists still question the tragic personal impact of her struggle.

Born in Jepara, Central Java, on April 21, 1879, Kartini was a brilliant young woman from a noble family.

Women at that time had little access to education and most dreamed only of finding a suitable husband. Kartini's thoughts -- including her opposition to polygamy and that a woman could choose to remain single -- were made public after a series of letters to Dutch female friends were published.

Despite her progressive ideas, Kartini gave in and agreed -- at her father's request -- to marry a 50-year-old man who already had three wives and six children.

Kartini died at the age of 25, three days after giving birth to her first son.