History shows women can lead

By Lynda Kurnia Wardhani

JAKARTA (JP): A recommendation that Indonesia's president and vice president must be male Moslems, issued by a group of Moslem clerics in the recent Indonesian Moslem Congress, has provoked much debate.

The recommendation hinders women's political emancipation and their chance to become state's leaders. It is alleged the stance was a maneuver to attack popular politician Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs a faction of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Aside from whether the allegation is true, the issue is worthy of debate in itself.

It is true that in Islam women cannot become imam, referring to the Surah An-Nisa, verse 34 in the Koran which states that "men are leaders for women" (Arrijahu qawwamuuna alan-nisa). In Moslem rituals only men can lead prayers and conduct the Muazin call to pray, and deliver the speech as Khatib. Moreover, it is men's task and responsibility to be heads of their families.

Yet the statement should not be generalized and assumed as fact in political affairs. Women should not be restrained from being active and moving ahead in various fields, including politics. S. Masturah Alatas in his book True Picture on Rights of Muslim Women wrote: "It is not Islam that oppresses women, but people who have failed to understand the true intentions of Islam and who have misinterpreted its texts."

For a long time, women in both developed and developing countries have discovered that they can translate their efforts to protect themselves into effective political action.

History shows many women have reached the top, including Moslems. Women, either elected or appointed, have become heads of state in the 20th century. Some of them ruled in predominantly Moslem countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh; others governed countries pregnant with conflict potential like Argentina, the Philippines, Ireland and India.

Women heads of state and government have distinguished themselves in their own right, and several have been considered strong leaders.

Indonesia's premodern history was marked by women controlling absolute power. The Kalingga kingdom in Central Java was ruled by Queen Sima, who was greatly respected for her sense of justice, in the 7th century. In the 13th century, Ken Dedes governed the Singosari kingdom. Queen Tribhuwana Tunggadewi also once reigned over the powerful Majapahit kingdom. Queens who headed regions outside Java include Sultanah Safiatuddin of Aceh in the 17th century, and the Buginese monarch Siti Aisyah We Tenriole of Ternate in South Sulawesi in the 19th century.

Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua, Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland, Lidia Geiler of Bolivia, Ertha Pascal-Trovillot of Haiti, Isabela Peron of Argentina and Mary Robinson of Ireland are among the presidents of this century. Prime ministers include Siramavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway, Kim Campbell of Canada, Eugenia Charles of Dominica, Tansu Ciller of Turkey, Edith Cresson of France, Indira Gandhi of India, Maria Liberia- Peters of Netherlands-Antilles, Golda Meir of Israel, Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo of Portugal, Hanna Suchocka of Poland, Margareth Thatcher of the United Kingdom, Jenny Shipley of New Zealand and Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh.

In her book The Forgotten Queens of Islam, prominent theologian Fatimah Mernissi revealed the story of Moslem women who successfully ruled. The eminent women were Sultanah Radhiyyah governing Delhi (1236); Syajarat Al Durr of Egypt (1250) who conquered the French troops and put Louis IX into jail; Turkan Khatun and Padisyah Khatun of Persia during the era of Mongolian colonialism (13th century to 14th century); Sultanah Khadijah, Myriam and Fathimah who ruled the Maladewa islands for 40 years (1347-1388); Khayzuran who dominated the Moslem Imperium in Baghdad.

And they also included four capable women controlling the Moslem kingdom of Aceh from 1641 to 1699 -- Sultanah Tadj Al'- Alam Safiyyat Al-Din Syah, Nur Al'-Alam Nakiyyat Al-Din Syah, Inayat Syah Zakiyyat Al-Din Syah and Kamalat Syah.

Political space belongs to all citizens, politics is everyone's business and affects the lives of each of us. Although women are participating in ever greater numbers in politics and public life all over the world, they still remain largely outside the realms of power and decision making in governments.

Indonesian women, like most of their counterparts in Asia, still face numerous obstacles when entering politics. Indonesia has indeed ratified the United Nations Convention on Political Rights for Women, issued on Dec. 20, 1952, and there is no written rule in the country preventing women from entering politics. In reality, women confront various social impediments.

The United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) has identified a number of obstacles to women's participation in politics which prevent them from reaching legislative and ministerial positions.

Those obstacles comprise the relatively short historical tradition of women's political participation and lack of experience in campaigning public debate and exposure to media, and prevailing negative attitudes toward women's participation in public life.

There is also the lack of confidence and support for female candidates and politicians on the part of the electorate; the difficulty women experience in combining a political career with the traditional women's role in the family and often in society; economic dependency or lack of financial means; insufficient education in particular; and women's reluctance or diffidence to participate in politics, particularly at a high level.

Ibnu Khaldun, a well-known Arab scholar, said in his book Al Muqaddimah that there was nothing which could outright exclude women from being leaders. He argued that if women fulfilled the four considerations of knowledge, justice, ability and physical health then, they were qualified to lead.

Indonesia has entered a new era and a new strategy for national development is imperative. The economic downturn which has hit the Asian region has increased in intensity in Indonesia. It has swept aside old political structures and ushered in new freedoms and an era of reform the like of which has not been seen for almost a generation.

But the recent political turbulence signals the need for the country to be righteously guided. In the upcoming election, the chosen leader should unmistakably be the one who is able to help Indonesia lift itself out of the grave condition.

Being president at the present time is a tremendously taxing job. It means having the courage to face risks, challenges and many other tests.

But the situation is more or less similar to the situation in the Philippines prior to the Corazon Aquino presidency.

Under Aquino's leadership, Filipinos were brought to a more comfortable and peaceful condition. Since that time, not a single major political conflict causing victims has occurred and everything has gone according to the aspirations of the majority.

Aquino, a pious Catholic, was warmly welcomed by Filipinos, most of whom belong to the same religion. Similarly, it is normal for predominantly Moslem Indonesia to hope to be led by a devout Moslem president.

According to Panji Masyarakat in its November 1998 edition, Megawati is difficult to accept by many Moslem Indonesians for two main reasons. First, there is the controversy over the religion of Megawati despite recent efforts to put the questions to rest. Second, when she was in the House of Representatives at the head of the then recognized PDI for two terms, her faction blocked several initiatives for Moslem interests.

While the above reasons might explain the efforts to deter Megawati from being president, what counts is that any woman is permitted to be president as long as it would not contradict Islamic principles.

The discourse on whether a woman is allowed to be president should focus on the ability of the woman as a leader. There are many roads for women to take in decision-making positions and the leadership level in government such as political parties, legislatures and trade unions, which are the major vehicles for political careers. It depends on the woman herself whether she can head the state, but the most important thing is that equal opportunities should be open to both sexes.

The writer is a postgraduate student of University of Indonesia in Jakarta.

Window A: For a long time, women in both developed and developing countries have discovered that they can translate their efforts to protect themselves into effective political action.

Window B: The United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) has identified a number of obstacles to women's participation in politics which prevent them from reaching legislative and ministerial positions.