Observers welcome women ministers

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have welcomed the appointment of three prominent women to the cabinet and have called on them to continue promoting gender equality.

Rudini, Lies Marcus and Wardah Hafidz agreed in separate interviews yesterday and Sunday that great challenges lay ahead for new Minister of Social Services Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, State Minister of Women's Roles Tutty Alawiah and Minister of Agriculture Justika Sjarifudin Baharsjah.

Rudini, a former minister of home affairs who now chairs the Institute for Strategic Studies of Indonesia (LPSI), took special note of the appointment of Hardijanti, who is also President Soeharto's eldest daughter. He said he did not see nepotism behind the appointment.

"We should not just view her as the daughter of the President," he said. "We also have to admit that she has indeed made some achievements in the field of social services."

Hardijanti, who is better known as Mbak Tutut, is a successful businesswoman and has been active for years in various charities as well as activities involving youths. She is also deputy chairwoman of the dominant Golkar political grouping.

Rudini named several ministers he said were "the best people for the posts," including Justika and new Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication/Chairman of National Planning Board Haryono Suyono.

Rudini said the new ministers must work hard to restore public confidence in the government. "They should be disciplined and act as the people's servants," he said. "Otherwise, they shouldn't talk about eradicating corruption and practices of collusion in the country."

Lies Marcus, a researcher and trainer at the Center for Education and Development of Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and Community, said Tutty Alawiyah should broaden her horizons to better see the scope of problems affecting women from all walks of life and different religious backgrounds.

Tutty is better known as a Moslem preacher, a Golkar cadre and the manager of an orphanage.

"Tutty has so far been exclusively in a conventional Moslem environment, particularly in the Majelis Taqlim (women's Islamic studies clubs), and she comes from a privileged Betawi (native Jakarta) family," Lies said.

"She has been saying that there are no problems for women here, which I say is very wrong and naive," Lies said.

"There is a very clear problem of discrimination against women here," Lies insisted. "For instance, while factory wages may be the same for both sexes, women take on a bigger burden because not only are they responsible for domestic chores, but they also often work overtime because it is the only way to get enough income."

Tutty's office must pay attention to addressing this stereotype of women as wives and mothers, because it leads to this "triple burden", Lies said.

"Tutty, for one, has been saying it is okay for women to go out and work as long as they do not forget their kodrat, God- given destiny. It is not that simple," she added.

"The earlier office of state minister of women's roles under Mien Sugandhi had begun to publicly promote the meaning of equality. Ibu Tutty must continue this," she added.

Sociologist Wardah Hafidz concurred.

"Mien used to do bizarre things, like changing the acronym of TKW to Nakerwan, both meaning women workers, but she was still open to ideas," she said. (imn/anr)