Women's rights

Women's rights

I read with interest the celebration of International Women's Day at the British Council, led by leading Feminist Julia Suryakusuma and many high Diplomatic names.

Yet the real issue is on what is faced daily by the common people.

It would be great feminist hypocrisy if issues like the rights of the children of Indonesian women, married to foreigners and have no election to follow the mother, are not resolved by these high sounding women.

Following the strict application of the Ius Sanguinis principle, as explained in a letter by Hario Subayu of the Immigration Department (March 6, 1995) in reply to ES Webber's letter, is further complicated by the application of the Indonesian Agrarian Laws, wherein a mother's property cannot be passed on to her 'bastard' child.

Discussions followed by cocktails will not bring justice, nor photo sessions with the newspapers resolve this fundamental human rights violation perpetuated on Indonesian women.

The Indonesian woman has no first rights towards custody of the child in the case of a divorce with the foreigner husband as the child is a foreigner by definition of the Indonesian law.

The Ius Sanguinis principle is meant to apply where both parents are foreigners with a child born in a foreign country, as where an Indonesian couple has a child in another country can claim Indonesian citizenship.

I believe there has been an administrative interpretation and implementation of a legal principle. This has been performed without regard to the implications and proper spirit of the principles which have important legal consequences and reduces human decency.

The result is to punish the Indonesian mother and child, and waive their rights.

This administrative ruling is abhorrent and needs to be addressed urgently by so-called famed feminist like Julia Suryakusuma and Daradjat Natanegara (UNESCO).

M. SEAN

Jakarta