The women who made headlines in 1994

The women who made headlines in 1994

JAKARTA (JP): Many Indonesian women made headlines in
politics, entertainment and sport in 1994, the Year of Women's
Role in Development. Here are some of them.

Megawati Soekarnoputri, the first woman to ever chair the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), launched into an extensive
tour of the country in January, barely a month after being
elected.

The daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, Megawati
encountered problems towards the end of the year when some party
members began to question her leadership. She enjoys strong
grassroots support, however, and is likely to weather the storm.

Another woman politician almost constantly in the news is
Aisyah Amini, who chairs Commission I of the House of
Representatives (DPR), which oversees foreign affairs, defense
and security, and information.

Aisyah, who is from the United Development Party (PPP), often
criticizes the government, as she did when the government banned
three magazines -- Tempo, Editor and DeTik on June 21.

She is also strong on human rights issues as shown when she
urged the government to ratify more UN conventions on human
rights. She argued that the ratification was necessary to show
the government's seriousness about the promotion and protection
of human rights in the country and to remove the perception of
some foreign countries that Indonesia does not really care about
the issue.

Another woman struggling hard for the promotion of human
rights is Roekmini Koesoemo Astuti, a retired police brigadier
general and a member of the National Commission on Human Rights.

Roekmini listens patiently to heartbreaking complaints from
people who have been deprived of their rights. Along with the
other personnel in the commission, she helps settle various cases
such as arbitrary building demolition, inadequate land
compensation and the dismissal of employees who want to set up
independent trade unions.

Emmy Hafild of Walhi was in the spotlight, leading a lawsuit
against President Soeharto in the Jakarta Administrative Court.
Six non-governmental organizations sued the president for
diverting Rp 400 billion (US$190 million) earmarked for
reforestation to the state-owned Nusantara Aircraft Industry
(IPTN).

One of the lawyers handling the case was Nursyahbani
Katjasungkana, a former director of the Jakarta Legal Aid
Foundation (LBH) who now heads a group called Women's Solidarity
for Human Rights.

Even though the suit was ultimately dismissed, people will
remember Emmy for her spirit and courage in striving to preserve
the environment.

She criticized the government for blaming farmers and
indigenous people practicing slash and burn cultivation as the
main cause of forest fires. It was the forest concessionaires who
should be held responsible for such disasters, Emmy said.

Emmy is also part-time coordinator of the Women's Group for
Press Freedom (KPKP), along with sociologist Wardah Faids. Formed
two days after the press bans of June 21, the group is made up of
women activists, housewives, researchers and journalists.

Susi Susanti, world badminton champion for the past four
years, won her fifth Grand Prix title in Bangkok in December.
Given the gap in skills between senior and junior players, one
might ask whether Indonesia will still be relying on a single
Susi Susanti to gather gold medals for the women's national
badminton team in the year ahead. This question may also apply to
tennis, where Indonesia only has Yayuk Basuki to cheer.

Nafsiah Mboi, a vocal member of the House of Representatives,
medical doctor, and wife of former West Nusa Tenggara Governor
Ben Mboi, constantly reminds authorities of the biases behind
policy formulation on AIDS, the fatal Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome.

"If the national program on managing HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus)/AIDS has not begun by 1997, HIV-infected
Indonesians may reach up to four million people in the year
2005," said Nafsiah.

Sjamsiah Achmad, assistant to the state minister of women's
roles, chaired the Senior Officials Meeting and Ministerial
Meeting in the Asia Pacific Conference on Women in June. She
managed to coax delegates into bringing their diverse views into
a consensus.

Also noteworthy was her call for Indonesia to review its
policy on women because, she said, the present policy was pushing
women further into the home sector.

Given her position in the government, this was a bold
statement indeed.

Sjamsiah also said that she personally does not agree with
requiring the spouses of officials to join the Dharma Wanita
civil servants' wives' association.

Atie Wardiman, wife of Minister of Education and Culture
Wardiman Djojonegoro, also surprised the public when she
criticized Dharma Wanita.

"Dharma Wanita has neglected its main function to educate its
members, broaden their horizons and improve their skills," she
said, adding that the organization has put too much emphasis on
social activities. Due to her husband's position, Atie Wardiman
chairs the Dharma Wanita unit of the Department of Education and
Culture.

Yenny Rosa Damayanti, along with three other students, was
released on Dec. 15 after spending one year in prison for
defaming President Soeharto.(sim/anr)