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)