Megawati's rise offers hope for women

By Nori Andriyani

JAKARTA (JP): When Megawati Soekarnoputri announced her intention to run for the presidency this writer was filled with joy in anticipation that she could be the vehicle to bring about changes for women. But calls to women activist friends to find out their reaction and to ask whether the women's movement would support Megawati were met with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. They were highly doubtful that Megawati would address the feminist agenda of empowering women.

The criticism voiced by activists is that Megawati is feudal because she relies heavily on her father's fame and his outlook; she has no original reflections. They also condemned Megawati for her silence, which strengthened public doubts that a housewife could become a political figure.

But hopefully the activists can think otherwise. Megawati's ascendancy to one of the highest political positions in the country has political implications that will benefit the feminist agenda.

Whether feminist interests are on Megawati's agenda or not, her entrance into the public political sphere shatters the patriarchal argument that women can not be leaders. This argument was vigorously aired by some Muslim groups, and was used as a weapon to put her down. This statement does not intend to single out Islam, as other religions are also known for their disapproval of women leaders. For example, except for in their convents, the Catholic Church has no place for women in the church leadership. But in Megawati's case, some Muslim groups used gender as an issue to subdue the nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) which she leads.

The rise of Megawati will have a ripple effect on the shattering of patriarchal arguments, that downplay women's capability in the politic arena and that also aim to exclude women altogether from politics. Women nationwide now have a role model that will be a source of inspiration for a new generation of women political leaders yet to be born. There has been an overlong silence from genuine women political leaders. And Megawati broke that silence by showing that a woman can fight her way up the political ladder.

Whether she is aware of the fact or is not, Megawati has actually made an effort to insert the feminist agenda into Indonesian patriarchal politics. She is introducing feminine values into the predominantly masculine politics. Megawati has built an image of a strong mother figure that has come to protect her children. All Indonesian people are her children. And she has come to make the peace. Her inauguration speech clearly reflected this image. Two prominent national dailies picked up on the mothering theme. On Oct. 22, the Kompas headline was: "Megawati: 'Your Mother Stands Here'" while Media Indonesia ran with: "At This Speaker's Platform Your Mother Stands."

Megawati was addressing students who had been at the forefront of the reformasi movement, as well as her party supporters. However, when it was taken as a headline by major newspapers, the context of her address was extended; she seemed to be addressing the whole nation.

Megawati is not alone in this movement to integrate feminine values into the predominantly masculine politics. Several Indonesian women groups, particularly the Voice of Concerned Mothers, have taken this line. Consider the latter's now famous actions to provide affordable milk for children affected by the economic crisis.

Another group, Seruni, has promoted an image of women as peace makers. They have organized peaceful protests at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. Implicitly, such a movement is also saying that peaceful political methods is a woman's way and that way will be more productive than the violent approach of the masculine political players, be it the military, police, or the men at the forefront of the people's resistance.

Radical feminist Marilyn French argued that to spare the world unnecessary conflict, feminine values must be reintegrated into the masculine society's patriarchal ideology (in Rosemarie Tong, Feminist Thought, 1998).

Looking at the Megawati phenomenon, the Voice of Concerned Mothers, Seruni and other groups, their call is similar to French's proposition. Many of these women may not like the idea that what they have been voicing are feminist and radical viewpoints. Such connections are often considered counterproductive in Indonesia's patriarchal and feminist phobic society.

But labels are not important. What is important is that they do have feminist implications. That is because they voice women's interests, they insert women's perspectives, and they demand changes be made the women's way. For a long time in the New Order, women were silent and were only bystanders in Indonesian politics. The reformasi era has created room for Megawati and the mushrooming progressive women's organizations in the country to become proactive political players.

In short, there is a intensifying movement today in Indonesia to introduce feminine politics to counter masculine politics. Although perhaps unaware of her role, Megawati is now at the forefront of this movement, because she is striking straight into the heart of masculine politics. Just by holding her high political position, and as the second person in command (whose power may increase considering Abdurrahman Wahid's health), she now calls the shots for further changes in the feminist agenda.

This is a major shift for women nationwide. In the New Order, women were only granted token political positions and only given what were traditionally considered to be feminine posts. During that time, women were only appointed to the controversial Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Social Services. This time, Megawati has gained a political position not because it was granted to her, but because she struggled for it.

Indeed as the bearer of Sukarno's legacy, Megawati had a better start than other women. But she came to power through an election. This makes a big difference.

The above arguments are the basis for the call to women activists to make a concerted effort to reach Megawati and "use" her to forward women's interests. Megawati and the women's movement actually need each other. The movement needs her to promote women's interests at the level of national politics.

Megawati needs to maintain political support from her female supporters and gain the support of women who remain doubtful of her solidarity with women's issues.

It is worth noting that Megawati's party was castigated for being one of the parties that did not provide a clear program for advancing women's rights. And the party did not seem to care about this lack because even without the program, many women gave their votes to her party.

One indicator of this situation was the conspicuous increase in women callers to a radio station the day of her election to the vice presidency. Most of them voiced their support for Megawati. Usually on political issues, fewer women call into interactive radio shows compared to men. Megawati's party has an interest in ensuring that more women will vote for her party at the next election. In 2004 people will vote for their president directly. Therefore Megawati's performance in successfully meeting the interests of various groups, including women who count for at least half of the voter population, will be the determining factor.

In the mean time, the progressive women's movement must be proactive in reaching out to Megawati. If the women activist leaders take a passive position, waiting for Megawati to come to them, then they will be making the same mistake that Megawati made. (A factor which she and other PDI Perjuangan leaders may have realized by now, because had it not been for the support of the masses countrywide, the silent approach almost cost her the vice presidency.)

The movement must work together to attract Megawati's attention to find solutions for major women's issues such as the May 1998 rapes and the raping and killing of women in violent regions such as Aceh.

It is high time for the women's movement to be proactive in promoting women's interests because Megawati now holds the highest official political position in the country. First Lady Nuriyah Wahid is also known for her concern about women's issues, and has more than once joined peaceful rallies against violence.

In the name of women's interests, let us take them by the hand. The time has come to be more proactive or else the momentum will slip by. This is not a call to be a Megawati bootlicker; on the contrary, it is a call to intensify our political stance.

The writer is a lecturer in the Women's Studies Graduate Program at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.