Parties in favor of DPR women's quota
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Major political parties have given their weight behind the demand for the provision of 30 percent of seats at the House of Representatives for women.
Doubts remain high, however, as to whether the parties will keep to their promises to allot the quota of political jobs for women in the 2004 General Election.
Golkar legislator Eka Komariah Kuncoro told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a two-day seminar that concluded on Tuesday that her party and other major parties have supported moves to improve women's participation in politics.
She said the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) wanted the percentage of women's seats in the legislature to be raised by up to 30 percent.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) decided that at least 25 percent of its legislative candidates would be women.
Komariah's statement was confirmed by the Women's Network and Politics, a non-governmental organization established on Nov. 22, 2002, which had recently visited the headquarters of the five major parties.
Women makes up at least 51 percent of the country's population of around 210 million people, but they have only 44 representatives or 8.9 percent of the seats in the 500-member House of Representatives and 64 or 9.2 percent of the seats in the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly.
On the first day of the seminar, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Sri Redjeki Sumaryoto, several female legislators and many more independent activists demanded the percentage be raised to between 20 percent and 30 percent at the next election.
They said such a quota for women must be clearly stipulated in political bills to be deliberated at the House of Representatives in order to prevent political parties from breaching their own commitments.
The participants also recommended the political bills include penalties for parties failing to make sure that at least 30 percent of their legislative candidates were women.
Women's representation in executive agencies, such as the Supreme Court, the Supreme Audit Body (BPK), the Supreme Supervisory Council (DPA) and the General Elections Commission (KPU) should also be increased, they said.
Komariah, Valina Singka Subekti from the University of Indonesia and other female activists dismissed widespread claims that women were not prepared to serve political jobs due to what many say is a lack of skill and professionalism.
Komariah said "affirmative action" is needed to empower women's political role by providing them with a quota of legislative and executive positions.
"Allowing women legislative candidates to compete with their males counterparts is unfair because their strengths and capabilities are extremely unequal," she added.