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