RI women must unite to fight for rights: S. African activist

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta

A South African activist has urged Indonesian women to unite to overcome problems that impede democracy such us poverty and gender equality.

Yvette Lillian Myakayaka-Manzini, deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) Women's League, told a seminar here on Thursday women could begin by initiating grass-roots women's movements to push for state reform. This would ensure they were included in the decision-making process, she said.

"Indeed I believe women have to play an increasing role in the unfolding world democracy. More than ever before we live in a very dangerous world, in which institutions such as the United Nations have been weakened, and women, who constitute more than half of the global population, cannot just sit and watch.

"We need to act in unity to overcome poverty, underdevelopment and inequalities," she said at South Africa's Women's Day Seminar, which was sponsored by the South African Embassy and the State Ministry of Women's Empowerment.

Myakayaka-Manzini, who also heads the ruling party's international affairs department, shared her experiences when, as a party member, she had to fight for women to acquire a 40 percent representation in the South African cabinet and 30 percent in parliament.

During the apartheid government, only white women had the right to vote.

"The formation of the African National Congress was to address the extension of human rights, including the right to vote, of all South Africans. But when the ANC was formed in 1912, women were not allowed constitutionally to be full members of these organizations. Women were regarded as auxiliary members with no voting rights," she said.

The female members continued to participate in the party and in 1913, they formed their own organization, the Bantu Women's League named after the first ethnic inhabitants in the terrain known now as South Africa. Charlotte Maxeke was the first leader of the league.

This league was then transformed into a larger grouping, admitting women as well as men. In 1948, the ANC Women's League was formally launched. In 1954, the Federation of South African Women was set up with the league as its leading component.

"From its founding, the league had a vision of uniting South African women across the color barrier and thus worked to create such a body," said Myakayaka-Manzini, who joined the party in 1975.

The struggle had borne fruit, she said. The league's most important achievement was its success in incorporating the issues of gender discrimination and their resolution into the South African Constitution, government policies, laws and special programs.

After the second democratic election in 1999, women achieved 33 percent representation in parliament of 490 members, compared with only 0.08 percent in 1994.

She said in the 1999 elections, nine out of the 27 ministers appointed were women along with eight of the 14 deputies. In 2004 election, 11 women were appointed to cabinet and 21 were made deputies.

Indonesian Minister for Women Empowerment Sri Redjeki Sumaryoto, who also spoke at the seminar, said gender imbalances and discrimination against women in this country would led to more violence and exploitation.

"We need to immediately resolve (this problem) in order for women to be able to enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms to achieve gender equity and equality," she said.

Smita Notosusanto, the executive director of election watchdog the Centre for Electoral Reform, and Kamala Chandrakirana, the head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, both called on the House of Representatives to pass bills drafted to protect women.

The bills, which are scheduled for a second deliberation, cover human trafficking, violence against women, women's health and the protection of migrant workers.