Megawati believes in a nation with a vision

Megawati believes in a nation with a vision

By T. Sima Gunawan and Imanuddin

JAKARTA (JP): She does not talk much, but she is one of the
most talked about persons in the country. A low-profile and soft-
spoken woman, Dyah Permata Megawati Soekarnoputri is a tough and
powerful figure in New Order politics.

Talking about politics in Indonesia is also talking about
Megawati, the ousted chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI). Since she became the leader of PDI in 1993, she has
been the focus of public attention. Her supporters call her a
symbol of people's power or a symbol of civil society. Her
opponents, however, say her fame is merely due to the great name
of her father, Sukarno, the country's first president. They look
at her cynically, calling her a housewife instead of a
politician.

Megawati was born in Yogyakarta on Jan. 23, 1947. She studied
at the School of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University, Bandung,
and at the School of Psychology, University of Indonesia,
Jakarta, but she never completed her studies.

She lives with her third husband, M. Taufiq Kiemas, a
businessman, and their youngest child, Puan Maharani, 24, in a
house with a big garden in South Jakarta. Puan, who has two elder
brothers, has just graduated from the University of Indonesia.
She has two brothers. The first one, M. Rizki Pratama, is
studying at the Bandung Institute of Technology and the second,
M. Prananda, is studying in Australia.

In 1987, Megawati started her career in politics as a vote
getter for PDI. She was quite magical in her campaigning because
she always attracted a huge crowd. In 1988, Megawati and her
husband became members of the House of Representatives (DPR),
seats that they still hold today.

In 1993, Megawati was elected chairperson of PDI following
fierce conflicts that rocked the party. But the dispute has not
ended. In May 1996, her rival, led by Soerjadi, held an extra
ordinary congressional meeting, sponsored by the government.
Soerjadi was named as the new party leader, but Megawati insisted
that she was still the legal chairperson of PDI.

A riot broke out on July 27, 1996, following the forced
takeover of PDI headquarters on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.

Megawati and her faithful supporters, however, would not give
up. On Tuesday, thousands of her loyalists rallied to the House
of Representatives to demand representation in next month's
general election.

Even though the media gives her special attention, Megawati
does not give many interviews. She talked to The Jakarta Post on
Thursday, in a special interview in conjunction with Kartini Day,
which occurs tomorrow. Below is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: Kartini, the national heroine of emancipation,
struggled for equality between men and women. How do you see the
relevance of her ideas in the present day?

Answer: The idea about equality is clearly stipulated in the
1945 Constitution. It asserts that every citizen, regardless of
sex, is equal. But in practice, we still see the problems in
implementing the idea.

Q: What are the problems?

A: There are problems in implementing the idea of equality in
various fields, i.e. in politics. I often see women who are
capable, but they can't develop a career because they are women.
I don't like this, but it is the reality facing our society. They
are good but they can't develop proper skills because of the lack
of support from the surrounding people. This is also about
cultural values.

In many places outside Jakarta, people still give a son more
privilege than a daughter, because they often believe that sons
are better than daughters.

Q: That partly explains why we don't see many outstanding women...

A: I think it does. Once I read a book saying that there were
many good women who had strong leadership in Islam, but their
names were not mentioned in the history book of our nation. This
was stated by a woman intellectual who wanted to see women
judged, not by their physical appearance, but from their
capability to think and their vision.

Q: Do you see many women with vision?

A: Yes, but there is very little effort in motivating women to
move forward. For example, there are women who want to be active
in politics, but they can't make it because there is an idea that
politics is dirty and taboo for women. Even though they are
capable, they can't establish a career in politics because they
don't get support from their husbands and the people surrounding
them.

We need to encourage women to be more active in politics. We
need more women in politics and we need to improve the quality of
those who are already in the field.

I have observed a setback in women's participation in today's
politics. When we strived for independence, there were so many
women who took part in the struggle.

Talking about national heroines, I am sure we have many who
are not mentioned in our history books, even though they rendered
many services to the country. Maybe it is because people would
not recognize who they were.

Q: Not in your case. You have strong support from the people...

A: I thank God. I hope there are many women figures who are known
by the public.

Q: How about the support from your family?

A: That depends on their vision and their horizon.

We know there is feminist movement in the West. I think it is
because there is an imbalance between men and women, for
instance, in the sense of opportunity. Men and women are
different, but you don't need to blow up their differences. We
need to look at our capabilities.

Q: What is feminism?

A: I, myself, am still trying to understand it. It seems that in
the West, which is quite "modern", there are still things women
do not really agree about, such as opportunity.

Q: In Indonesia, do you still see discrimination against women in
the workplace, for example in wages?

A: Yes, you can see it clearly. Even though there are regulations
to protect women, discrimination still prevails. We still have a
lot of homework to do. Also, there is a regulation about maternal
leave, but it is not fully implemented.

Q: Some developed countries give parental leave for fathers. How
do you see this as an idea?

A: I think that is one of the issues covered in feminism. They
want a balance. They say, 'If I have to wash the clothes and take
care of the children, you should do the same thing. Because I can
work outside the home, you should also be able to do the
household chores.'

Q: There seems to be a dual role for mothers who work outside the
house, but this does not seem to apply to fathers...

A: That's true, but we are now in a transition. Just look at
young couples. I have seen men pushing baby carts or giving
bottled milk to their babies. These things were considered
inappropriate for men in the past.

I think it depends on the vision of both men and women.

I once said jokingly that I was in a "reverse culture" because
the one who becomes a tokoh (figure) should be a man. But I am
accepted by the people.

Q: Why do people accept you?

A: Because we understand each other and they think broadly.

Q: Isn't it because people believe you have charisma?

A: People may say so. That is God's gift. I have never said I
have charisma, that's what they say.

Q: Is it true that you have a kind of supernatural power which
enables you to communicate with your father?

A: Everyone has a certain power. We can focus it so that we can
think beyond the concrete world; we can broaden our horizons in
accordance with our immense imaginations and reach beyond the
end, or what we think is the end, but in fact, is not the end
because it is endless. I think everyone has the power, but it
depends on how you develop it.

Q: About your role as a mother. You spend so many hours outside
the house. How can you manage your time for family?

A: When I started to be active in politics, I had the chance to
do so because my children were already independent. It was not
how much time I could spend with them, but how we spent our time
together.

Q: Would there be any problem if you had been in politics when
your children were still very young?

A: I think that would not be a problem. What was important was
communication and how we spent time together.

Q: How can a woman who works outside the house balance her job
and family?

A: In general, women still have many problems. They can do that,
but it again depends on their vision. They should have good
communication among themselves.

Q: Do you still have time for yourself?

A: Of course. Otherwise I would be a mess. I still have time to
go to movies and take a walk.

Q: I understand you like gardening...

A: Yes. I pour my happiness and sadness into gardening because it
is my hobby. It is part of my life journey. If you don't have a
hobby, you can get stuck.

Q: What is your philosophy in life?

A: Lead a good life and better yourself. Don't get stuck, and
don't ever think that you are the best.

Q: Talking about leadership, what is your opinion about it?

A: A leader should gain support from a grassroots level, but we
see that there is a so-called katrol mechanism (which allows one
to hold a certain position even though he or she is not capable).
If one wants to become a leader, this should be done through
normal means. People themselves should "screen" leaders. They can
only do so if they have broadened their horizons.

Q: How can they broaden their horizons?

A: Through education.

Q: Critics say our educational system makes people stupid, not
intelligent. How true is that?

A: That's true. You can see the products of our educational
system around us. Something is wrong and needs to be fixed. How
can you have a good educational system if you don't care about
morals and ethics?

Q: When you talk about education, does it cover education of
politics?

A: Yes. The education of politics is crucial. How can people know
what to do, or what their rights and obligations are, if we don't
educate them?

Q: Who should be the educators?

A: In a narrow scope, it is the government's job. But in fact,
all of us should take part, too.

Q: Is it difficult to educate people?

A: Not really. They can think, that is their potential.

Q: Do you think the government has done enough to educate people?

A: No. They have built many schools, but what is the follow-up?

Q: How about the education of politics?

A: That's terrible. You don't need to go far to see its absence.
Just take a look at what is happening in PDI. Clearly, it shows
the degradation in the education of politics.

Q: Can the election become a tool of political education?

A: It should be able to become one, but what is an election? It
is called a party of democracy. Many people ask me what will
happen during the campaign period. Some people are worried.
That's strange. If you throw a party, you want to have fun. How
can you worry at a party? I wonder which is wrong: "education" or
the "educators".

Q: If it is the "educators" who are wrong, can they be improved?

A: It depends on their political will and their spirit to do the
right thing. If they want to develop the country, there must be a
strong foundation. As a free country, we should be free from
fear.

Q: Do you think they deliberately create an atmosphere which
makes people worry?

A: It seems so. That makes me feel concerned. Why do they say we
are free, but on the other hand, they curb us?

Q: Who are they?

A: You know who they are. Why should I mention them?

Q: In politics, people will do anything to achieve a goal, isn't
it that right?

A: True. But we have ethics and morals to achieve it. Politics
can be beautiful, like when they are used to gain independence,
but politics can also be dirty and destructive. Again it depends
on your political will.