Quota for women legislators

From Pikiran Rakyat

The demand for a quota of women legislators by a number of women activists at the coming general election seems excessive.

It shows that in this globalization era the long debate on gender matters carried on since the time of our ancestors is not finished.

Sometimes to obtain their rights women must "beg" and hope for men's "pity".

Sometimes women are not able to accept losing in a competition with men. They feel gender discrimination is the cause of it.

Without the intention to demean the role of women activists in their struggle, I think the demand is not more than a protection of women to avoid competition.

If the number of women legislators is lower than that of their male colleagues, must it be interpreted as a loss? Whether women are capable or not in a nation is not always measured by their number in the House of Representatives.

The best among them deserve to be in the House. Although we need women representatives for the House, we do not need to ask for a quota. What is the use of having many women in the House if their quality is not in line with expectations?

The problem is that not all women are concerned with women problems. The Purbalingga case is an example. Did we not hope that the political party leader who happened to be a woman would come to the defense of the scores of women stripped naked in the streets by the cadres of her sympathizers? She did not show her empathy, not even verbally. Should we not think positively among us, without being hampered by the matter of gender? We should rather be moved to help each other.

Are there not many women who care about men? Likewise many men care about problems faced by women, because men also have mothers, wives and daughters. So they would not pay half-hearted attention to their women's complaints.

ERNA SUMINAR

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