Women's role in politics
Women's role in politics
The apparently casual news item titled Women urged to get into
politics (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 19) should not be underestimated
by reason of its format. The importance of the piece lies in its
substance, as it reflects a current trend in women's behavior
toward politics.
A prominent female political analyst of the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI) reportedly opined that the 30
percent quota for women in the legislature in the next general
elections would not materialize. A rather strange mentality and
an antagonistic political stand on the part of women was
illuminated by the analyst's statement, saying that many women
kept away from politics as they looked upon it as a mere
"struggle for power".
Another lamentable comment referred to the tendency on the
part of most political parties to regard women as still
"inferior".
Assuming that it is true that women generally regard politics
merely as a vehicle to execute the "struggle for power", this
clearly indicates that the awareness in this country about the
broad horizons of the women's role and potential in implementing
the ideals of women's rights still figures at a low ebb.
From the broader perspective, women's role and potential in
the area of practical politics should best be appraised and
tested in the light of existing international conventions on the
rights, that have been accorded under the auspices of the UN and
have now entered into force, while some of them by virtue of
ratification have been incorporated into the national legal
system.
Against the backstage of universal principles on women's
rights, rights of children and social rights, it should be
recognized that women as mothers in the family and as part of the
work force exercise a crucial role in striving for the nation's
wellbeing and prosperity. As a consequence, women's role in
politics should necessarily be given a more responsible position
and worthy standing.
The narrow-minded judgment, if true, that women regard
politics as (mainly) "the struggle for power", must be discarded.
S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta