Transparency and accountability are associated with clean

Transparency and accountability are associated with clean
government. Without transparency, it would be difficult to
eliminate irregularities.

The House of Representatives has a monitoring function.
Without monitoring, we could not expect to have a clean
government. However, the function must be done transparently to
see both the good work as well as the bad.

The House has again humiliated itself. Its working committee
on the purchase of the Sukhoi jet fighters aims to investigate
alleged irregularities in the deal. However, the investigation
was done behind closed doors ... in secret. Unfortunately, this
is occurring in the era of reform.

The Sukhoi working committee could inflict losses on President
Megawati Soekarnoputri, because the closed investigation would
strengthen the people's perception that the purchase of the
fighter planes has violated rules.

The image of the House is getting worse. It would be better if
the working committee is abolished because the public is already
dizzy with all kinds of political play and masks.
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta

No model figures

It seems that Jakarta is the only city in the world where its
residents continue to brawl. We cannot understand and accept the
fact that such nonsense continually repeats itself.

Reports of brawls in Cakung, East Jakarta; Manggarai, South
Jakarta and Matraman, Central Jakarta, are common. The recent
fracas took place in Cipinang, East Jakarta, and Petojo Selatan,
Central Jakarta.

Surprisingly, most of the clashes are sparked by trivial
disputes between two people.

Jakarta is far from an ideal place to live. It is a place
where conflicts can happen at anytime and anyplace due to
economic reasons. In such a city where gaps between the rich and
the poor and the educated and the uneducated are very steep,
jealousy can trigger clashes.

The demographic map encourages the spirit of solidarity among
those of the same backgrounds. Unfortunately, the solidarity has
frequently resulted in negative action. The residents can easily
become enraged, even when a member of the group has an encounter
with other people.

What we really need is credible leaders who can mediate in
disputes. We are lacking credible leaders, including the
neighborhood unit heads.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta

Violence against women

A Rawalpindi-based NGO's revelations about women victims of
violence are horrifying. According to the data collected by it,
some 5,000 women were burnt to death in the last five years by
their husbands or in-laws in Rawalpindi-Islamabad and the
adjoining areas alone. Revealing the gory details, the rights
group's spokeswoman noted with shock and horror the latest method
of torturing women to death by electrocution.

The situation in many other parts of the country is no better
either. Considering the alarming number of women becoming victims
of violence -- harassment, physical abuse, selling of girls in
marriages or offering them to adversaries as compensation to
settle tribal disputes, rape, imprisonment under false charges of
fornication, mutilation, acid throwing, burning, electrocution,
honor killing -- not enough is being done at any level -- legal,
social or political -- to fight these evils and to safeguard
women's rights, interests and, above all, their physical safety
and well-being. The fact that their tormentors are seldom, if
ever, brought to justice, makes it only more alarming.

Regressive social practices, rooted in tribal and feudal
customs and traditions, coupled with an obscurantist
interpretation of religious edicts, are the main hurdles in way
of according women their due rights, status and protection.
Changing social attitudes towards women in a society in
transition such as ours requires sustained legal and social
efforts and nation-wide legal aid services for women.

The discriminatory Hudood, Qisas and Diyat Ordinances and the
Law of Evidence are repressive in spirit and application and
deserve to be repealed or suitably modified. Increased
representation of women in our legislatures now provides the
right conditions and opportunity to get things moving on this
very important front.

Pakistan cannot become a moderate, progressive and a
prosperous Muslim country without strengthening civil society and
abiding by its norms. This requires, first and foremost, giving
men and women equal access to opportunities in life, with
particular emphasis on the protection of the rights, interests,
safety and well-being of women. -- The Dawn, Karachi