Quota for women legislators

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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