Nane Annan graces meeting of women leaders

Nane Annan graces meeting of women leaders

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Although they were visibly delighted to have
Nane Annan among them, the glittering galaxy of Indonesian women
leaders wondered why Kofi Annan, her husband and the United
Nations secretary-general, had not come to see them.

"I am really disappointed that the secretary-general did not
find time to meet with us," regretted Mely G. Tan, the chairwoman
of the Atma Jaya Catholic University's Research Institute and
member of the National Commission for Violence Against Women.

"The secretary-general should have spent some time with us as
well. We are, after all, half the population of the world," said
another guest, who is involved in an aggressive movement for the
education of young girls, many of whom are victims of continuing
social and religious conflicts in different parts of the country.

During her two-day visit to Jakarta, Nane met with a group of
over 30 women all involved in an effort to empower as many women
as possible through education, information technology and income-
generating activities.

Nane, who received numerous invitations, especially to attend
various conferences scheduled around the country on women's
issues, was also complimented on her good looks and resemblance
to a French actress.

The Swedish-born Nane, who trained as a lawyer and worked on
legislative projects like the Swedish Commission on Ethnic
Discrimination before she joined the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees as a legal officer, smiled at the warm
welcome she received here, adding that she was thrilled to be
among a group of women who were able to express such a richness
of ideas. She was also overwhelmed that so many women were
sharing so much of themselves with other women less fortunate in
society.

While working as a professional in Sweden, she often found she
was a minority, surrounded mostly by male colleagues. However,
the advantage of being with the United Nations is to find oneself
part of a family in different corners of the world and to meet
many more women involved in public life.

The tall and slender Nane agreed that education of women was
the key to a healthy and peaceful world. She said without
education, women could not hope to participate fully in life. She
hoped that women who are caught in the middle of conflicts would
one day see themselves not as mere victims but also as crucial
peacemakers, who can actually prevent conflicts before they get
bloody.

She graciously listened to complaints made about her husband's
absence at the meeting and promised to report to him the
sentiments expressed by Indonesian women present there.

Speakers pointed out that women represent under 9 percent of
members in the present legislature. Iris Indira Murti, a
legislator, said 50 percent of voters are women but when it comes
to their representation in legislature the number shrinks. She
saw the gross under representation of women in the legislature as
a flaw in the country's democratic movement.

Marwah Daud Ibrahim, another legislator, said that once 17
percent of legislators in Indonesia were women. "The number went
down to 12 percent and in this new era of reformation and
democracy, why has it been slashed to less than 9 percent?" she
questioned.

She also wondered if Nane could help organize an exchange
program between women legislators here and in Sweden to find out
why the number of women in government in most Nordic countries
remains so much higher. She wanted to know how the United Nations
could help women in Indonesia to use information technology to
better their lives.

Desi Anwar, the attractive media personality, agreed that
knowledge is power and was also the answer to linking the country
to the rest of the world, especially to that part where
information technology is already a way of life.

Debra H. Yatim of Komseni, the spokeswoman for the arts group,
invited Nane to an all women's conference in Aceh to be held for
the first time in 400 years.

"Women have been living with armed conflict and cruelty for 10
years. The conference will give them an opportunity to decide how
women want to live their lives in the future, and the kind of
peace they are looking for in Aceh," Debra said.

National Police Col. Irawati Harsono, a senior lecturer in
criminology at the National Police Academy, regretted that just 3
percent of the police force consists of women and most are
employed only in the lower ranks.

She would like to see the Police Academy open up to women as
well.

Miranda Goeltom, the deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, wanted
a proper policy that allowed more women to hold top jobs in
bureaucracy.

Erna Witoelar, a minister and one of the organizers of the
meeting between Nane and prominent Indonesian women, also dreams
of seeing more women in public life as prominent leaders and
decisionmakers. She reminded women that those who are already in
power also need empowerment.

Anne-Brigitte Albrectsen, the deputy resident representative
of the United Nations Development Program, added that work had
started with a group of women in the troubled Maluku islands who
are committed to overcome religious issues.

"If anyone can then it is this group that has the potential to
bring about peace or at least play a leading role in the peace-
making process in the area," she said.

As some participants refused to get over the fact that the UN
secretary-general did not attend, the other important "K" who was
conspicuously absent at this extraordinary meeting on women's
issues was Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the state minister of the
empowerment of women.