Women 'still defer to men' at the ballot box

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian women, despite enhanced political consciousness, continue to vote based on choices of male relatives and associates, activist and playwright Ratna Sarumpaet believes.

"Women are well educated today, and this has led to the increased political awareness," Ratna acknowledged on Saturday in an interview with The Jakarta Post.

She regretted, however, that they remained "dependent on their husbands, their bosses or their boyfriends in determining their political support for a political party contesting the polls".

Women's deference to men at the ballot box, Ratna said, carried over from male dominance in other fields.

She believed women activists should work to increase their peers' self-reliance in making choices at the June 7 general election.

Political educations would enlighten women from all education and social levels of their rights, Ratna said, and contribute greatly to building democracy.

According to the last census from 1990, women make up 51 percent of the electorate.

Some women activists, including those in the Women for Election Awareness Movement, have argued that at least 30 percent of seats in the House of Representatives should be allotted to women.

Ratna considered it an issue of the competence of legislators, not of filling set quotas.

"I am only interested in talking about the quality of women who occupy the legislative seats rather than debating their quantity."

In 1996 Ratna founded Siaga, an alliance for supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, leader of a faction of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party, and Amien Rais, now leader of the National Mandate Party.

They were considered popular alternative leaders to the government under Soeharto.

On Jan. 11, the women activists made the call for a one-third House representation after they met with Abdurrahman Wahid, leader of the largest Muslim organization Nadhlathul Ulama.

Among the activists who attended the meeting were journalist Toeti Kakiailatu, Titi Sumbung, psychology professor Saparinah Sadli and welfare activist Kardinah Soepardjo Rustam.

Separately, Saparinah blamed the Soeharto New Order regime for fostering women's continued dependence on men in asserting their political rights.

"Civil servants' wives, for example, are grouped in Dharma Wanita, the compulsory organization of civil servant wives, and were urged to vote for Golkar in elections."

She said women today were expected to use their vote freely in line with personal political convictions.

Ongoing deliberations on political bills in the House have included the controversial issue whether civil servants should be neutral and barred from joining political organizations.

Many fear the bureaucracy would be used to help channel votes for ruling Golkar.

Wives of the four million civil servants usually join in campaigns.

Saparinah said the questionable quality of the male House members was all the more reason to ensure fairness in allotment of seats based on sex. (01)