Nursyahbani keeps up fight for equality

Nursyahbani keeps up fight for equality

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Women's rights activist, legal expert and legislator
Nursyahbani Katjasungkana has a nickname from her fellow
activists: harum, which literally means fragrant.

The 48 year old earned it after a foundation awarded her the
Kartini of the Century award a couple years ago.

"I thought, why do they call me mbak harum? Apparently, it's
from the song about (national heroine) Kartini which says that
Kartini harum namanya (the name's famous)," laughed the
chairwoman of the Coalition of Indonesian Women for Justice and
Democracy.

It's also owed to the fact that Nursyahbani is an unabashed
admirer of Kartini, unlike most women's rights activists who
despise the heroine and consider her undeserving of her
distinction as a heroine of women's emancipation.

"Kartini inspired my father, who was one of the initiators of
the Youth Pledge (a major event in the independence movement, in
1928). And so she has inspired me as well, in other areas. She
wasn't only against arranged marriage, but supported single women
as well, that being single and unmarried is not contemptible. She
also fought for education for Indonesians.

"Yes, Kartini failed. She married a married man as her father
asked her to. But we have to look at the social conditions at
that time. Who could fight against their own fathers back then?
You know, the people who are against her, how deeply have they
read Kartini's letters?"

There may be those who disagree with Nursyahbani's views of
Kartini, but her own achievements and struggle in fighting for
women's rights in this country are undeniable.

Her journey started when she was in the fifth grade of
elementary school in Parelegi, a small village in Purwodadi,
Central Java.

She was shocked when one of her classmates was forced into an
arranged marriage.

"It was so shocking for me and left me traumatized," this
naturally soft-spoken woman recollectdd in an even fainter tone.

Her friend rebelled, however, as she wrapped her body tightly
in her waist sash, frustrating her husband's attempts to
consummate the marriage. He left after three days.

Another friend was also forced to be married just a few weeks
before final exams.

"I thought, how come they were forced to be married, some of
them haven't got their period yet!"

She also noticed different treatment in the home between her
and her male siblings.

"My parents are liberal concerning education. But still, when
it comes to responsibility of household chores, it's always for
girls. Girls also got less freedom."

Those experiences inspired her to study law so that she could
eventually work to uphold justice for women.

Nursyahbani graduated from Airlangga University's law school
in Surabaya in 1979, and began work as a lawyer at the Jakarta
Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) a year later.

Her involvement in issues related to gender equality and
women's rights intensified.

In 1983, along with other women's rights activists, she
established the Women Solidarity Foundation which deals with
issues affecting women migrant workers.

She was also among the founders of the Legal Aid Institute and
the Association of Indonesian Women for Justice (LBH APIK), which
provides advocacy to women and gives pro bono legal counsel.

In 1998, three days before Soeharto stepped down from the
presidency, Nursyahbani established the Women Coalition which
handles political education for women.

There has been progress but she laments that women in this
country are still marginalized.

"And, so far, the efforts from government and also NGOs have
yet to unfurl and overcome the problems, because the problems are
so complex."

The main obstacle is culture, she added, with the stranglehold
of a patriarchal system legitimated by male-biased religious
interpretations.

Even Law No. 7/1984 about the ratification of the convention
on eliminating discrimination against women states that the
implementation of the convention must be in line with tradition,
custom and religion.

"Whereas the convention is made as a tool to change traditions
that discriminate against women. The decision makers are not
explicit in eliminating the discrimination," she said.

"Another example is the city bylaw on domestic helpers that
obliges women to ask for their husbands' permission if they want
to work as a maid. The law really considers women as their
husbands' subordinate."

The coalition believes it is especially important to increase
the representation and participation of women in public life.

"We focus on women's rights training, the Constitution and
several policies related to trafficking in women. And also the
changing the policy to give more room for women as decision
makers," Nursyahbani said.

"The low number of women in the decision making area isn't
just a loss for women, but it makes it that women are not even
taken into account."

One of the coalition programs is affirmative action to
allocate at least 30 percent of decision-making positions to
women.

The coalition, along with other women's rights advocates, has
approached political parties and others involved for its
implementation.

Just when the parties were being won over to the argument,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri herself blasted the plan last
December, saying that such proposals were "counter-productive"
and "degraded women's dignity".

Completely dismissing quotas as the solution for establishing
gender equality, Megawati said that if prescribed, affirmative
action would eventually "weaken institutions as they are burdened
with preferential treatment".

"Oh my God! I was so shocked! Her statement is not only a
setback to gender equality, it brings back the whole effort to
zero point, if not minus point, as my friend said," Nursyahbani
said, slapping her forehead.

"Yes, it's a special measure for women, but it's important to
eliminate discrimination. Besides, it's temporary until the
numbers of women and men are balanced."

She admits that statements like Megawati's and experiences in
the courts -- "a place where (supposed) male superiority is
clearly seen" -- sometimes leave her disheartened.

"It's indeed very frustrating. But I'm an optimistic person,
if not, I would've stopped fighting decades ago."

She is buoyed by changes, although small, in national policy
on women. Her passion is restored when she sees the wives of poor
fishermen who are now able to express their grievances to the
local government, like about the scarcity of clean water in their
area.

There continue to be other more mundane limitations for the
mother of four, such as flare-ups from a childhood back injury.

"Working in a volunteer NGO is not too promising, to tell you
the truth. Besides, my children are growing up now."

Still, it's clear she will not give up the fight until women
get an equal footing in society. When the going gets really
tough, she heads to what has long been considered a "feminine"
domain.

"I just cook! It really reduces stress, I tell you," she
laughed.