Major parties committed to women's welfare

Major parties committed to women's welfare

JAKARTA (JP): Four major political parties declared on Tuesday
their commitment to the betterment of women's and children's
welfare, promising to give the issue prominence in the next State
Policy Guidelines (GBHN).

The representatives of the Golkar Party, the National
Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the
United Development Party (PPP) signed at a seminar here a pledge
that once they are in a policy making position they would
campaign for women's and children's issues.

"We will design intersectoral cooperation among parties, the
government and other components in society to increase awareness
for the need to improve the quality of life for women and
children," the politicians said in the statement.

They agreed on the need for special attention to address the
impact the two-year economic crisis had on women and children.

"Indonesia may lose a generation because of the crisis,"
United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) representative
for Indonesia and Malaysia, Stephen J. Woodhouse, said. The
seminar was held by Unicef in cooperation with the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

He suggested the government provide incentives to public
servants working to serve the poor.

"This (the situation of the poor) would be the responsibility
of every component of the nation. This is an urgent matter," said
Ermalina of PPP.

Ermalina also suggested the establishment of a technical
assistance system to be permanently attached to the House of
Representatives (DPR) and to consist of experts and activists.
"This forum is to enable experts and activists to hold
discussions with DPR members and to give opinions (on how the
House should launch poverty alleviation programs)," she said.

"There are many women who have been marginalized in the
development process," Khofifah Indar Parawangsa of the PKB said,
criticizing the narrow and sectoral, rather than integral,
approach to development as the cause.

Khofifah also suggested the establishment of a women and
children caucus in the DPR. "The caucus, whose members should
comprise representatives from all DPR commissions, would enable
comprehensive discussion on women and children in the DPR," she
said.

Amien Rais, chairman of PAN, agreed that Indonesia needed an
integrated development scheme.

Indonesia needs an interdepartmental reference set by the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), he said, "To avoid
administrative and budget disorder."

Amien also urged the media to pay more attention to non-
governmental organizations servicing difficult places.

"Despite international help, such as from Unicef and donor
countries, we still have a poor record on women's and children's
welfare," Ulla Nurachwaty of Golkar said.(05)