Political parties told to keep women voters in mind

JAKARTA (JP): Education, health and employment-related issues concerning women should be put on political parties' platforms if they wish to win over the majority of voters.

"Parties need to concentrate on issues that directly touch women's problems such as education, violence against women, health and reproductive rights and equal job opportunities," noted lawyer Nursyahbani Katjasungkana told The Jakarta Post.

Education will also have to go beyond the formal sphere to include "civic education" to discuss issues of discrimination against women, she said.

Nursyahbani, a member of the Legal Aid Office of the Association of Indonesian Women for Justice (LBH-APIK), spoke at a discussion on women and politics.

Female workers being arbitrarily fired, physically abused or deprived of their rights are serious problems which concern many women, she added.

"Since women make up the majority of voters -- 57 percent of an estimated 102 million eligible voters -- it is a must for parties to put together such a specific program on women," Nursyahbani noted.

The National Mandate Party (PAN) has stated that gender equality is important in its program but never carried through on its implementation, Nursyahbani said.

Sociologist Mely G. Tan said influential parties have "large potential to internalize values", and could therefore make a crucial contribution to build awareness of women's reproductive rights.

Awareness of their rights, she added, was vital to the well- being of both women and their children.

Azyumardi Azra, rector of the state-run Islamic studies college in Jakarta, IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah, called for the establishment of a political action committee for women ahead of the June poll.

"This kind of committee would be effective as they could function in lobbying related parties," he said.

Mely said parties should be bold to fight for women's issues during the reform era because women "mostly suffer from unjust domination and a patriarchal system".

Nursyahbani warned of the possibility of women boycotting the next election, referring to the recent statement of widows in North Aceh. Dozens of women threatened to boycott the polls if rights abuses resulting in torture, abduction and killing under the 10-year military operation were not settled.

Political professor Chusnul Mar'iyah said there were parties able to win over women voters, but conflicts of interests posed constraints. She said although the National Mandate Party advocated gender equality in its programs, chairman Amien Rais nevertheless once stated that women could only become president if no adequate men were found. (edt)