*IBRAHIM ISA'S FOCUS: *
*On "KARTINI DAY", 21 APRIL 2010*
*-----------
*WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN INDONESIA*
April 21, 2010 -- Nurfika Osman & Ismira Lutfia
*As Indonesia Celebrates Kartini Day, Observers Say Women's Rights Lacking*
If Indonesia were to be graded on its efforts to empower women and
uphold their rights, it would score poorly, according to activists and
academics.
The country today marks Kartini Day, which celebrates the Indonesian
heroine who led the struggle for women's equality. Indonesia's efforts
to empower women, however, have been hampered by the weak implementation
of laws designed to accomplish that goal, and other pieces of
legislation that are seen to infringe upon the rights of women.
Ida Rowaida, head of the gender studies department at the University of
Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe that Indonesia had made progress with
the passage of the 2007 Law on Trafficking, the 2004 Law on Domestic
Violence and a new law on gender equality, which is currently being
drafted. She said the laws should serve as a legal reference to ensure
that all government policies are gender sensitive.
"However, we have not seen the translation of these laws in the field,"
she said.
Mariana Amiruddin, executive director of Jurnal Perempuan, a women's
rights magazine, said no significant achievements had resulted from
these laws, as "many people do not even understand the definition of
gender and women's empowerment.
There is a severe lack of awareness, Mariana said. In the case of
trafficking, for example, "how can people implement the law when they do
not understand what trafficking is? Government programs have not reached
targets," she said. "Ask people in villages that have many cases of
trafficking. They do not know anything about it."
The 2008 Anti-Pornography Law, recently upheld by the Constitutional
Court, the existence of more than 150 discriminative bylaws that still
have not been annulled despite repeated calls and the proposed law on
marriage were cited as huge setbacks to women's rights.
The wife of late former President Abdurrahman Wahid, Sinta Nuriyah, said
legislation such as the Anti-Pornography Law "put barriers on women."
Mariana criticized the government for its failure to annul 154 bylaws
nationwide that are considered discriminatory, 64 of which discriminate
against a woman's right to freely express herself and women's right to
gainful employment.
"This is a reality in our society and this shows backwardness,
Ida said these discriminatory laws "are showing us how the state views
women. The concept of gender and equality remains a big question mark.
How can we implement a gender-sensitive budget and so on?" she said,
referring to the State Ministry for Women's Empowerment and Child
Protection's push for seven ministries to implement a gender-responsive
budget system.
Kasmawati, the deputy for public institution empowerment at the
ministry, acknowledged that women's development in Indonesia was still
far from satisfactory, based on the United Nations Development Program's
Gender Development Index. In a report released in March, Indonesia
ranked 90th out of 156 countries in the index for 2009, down from the
80th position it held in 2007.
"We are still lagging behind and we still have to work hard to catch up
because women are still marginalized even though there are laws [on
women's rights]," she said.
To address the issue of discriminatory laws, she said female lawmakers
should be empowered by the political parties they represent. "The
parties have to fully support them so women's rights are upheld,"
Kasmawati said.
She also applauded the House for having some male lawmakers who had good
gender perspectives, but said that "we need more of them."
Sinta and Ida said the prevailing culture was to blame for many of the
problems. "Structural intervention such as in law is important, but
cultural intervention such as education is more important," Ida said.
"There are people who see gender as a threat."
Sinta said that barriers to proper implementation of the gender laws
sometimes came from women themselves. "They relish their subordinance
[to men]."
Maria Farida Indrati says women must lead the fight for their rights.
------------
Judging by Her Record, Maria Farida is Not Afraid to Stand Out
The no-nonsense, matter-of-fact qualities that impress most who met
Maria Farida Indrati belie the warmth and friendliness underneath.
Maria, 60, is not your stereotypical Javanese woman.
Not only is she the country's first woman to sit on the Constitutional
Court, she has also distinguished herself with dissenting opinions on
three major verdicts --- setting aside a number of seats in the
legislature for women, the Anti-Pornography Law and on Monday the
Blasphemy Law. To mark Kartini Day, Maria shares her views on how far
the country's women have made it with Jakarta Globe reporter Ulma Haryanto.
On gender equality and women empowerment:
I am still optimistic that Indonesian women can achieve progress, but
this is largely dependent on the women themselves. I don't like it if
we, as women, want to progress but we always keep asking for things.
We have to show that we can succeed. The problem in Indonesia is
education. Boys are still given preference over girls in getting education.
On the prevailing patriarchal culture:
Turning a rule or regulation upside down is easy, but that's not so with
cultural ideas such as not pursuing higher education because it would
make it difficult to get a husband.
We have to bring an understanding to women that they have to have
something to hold on to, not just their husband. Women should be
empowered through education.
On whether there are enough legal means to protect women:
It is not about being sufficient or not, because the Constitution
already offers protection to everyone, so there is no discrimination.
But in its application it is something different, such as an employment
regulation that does not allow someone to marry or have children.
On whether women need to get special rights?
Special rights can be requested but we should not be constantly nagging
for it. For example, special health rights for pregnancy is okay, but
don't overdo it.
On the Marriage Law :
We should be careful on things that involve family, such as inheritance
and marriage, because a law has to be applicable nationally. If we look
at the Marriage Law, we have to look at religion, morality and custom,
and these conditions can be very different in each case.
*On her seat at the court: *
I have personal conflicts in my job because I used to be a consultant
for lawmakers and now I have the power to review the law. Now I am still
giving advice, not directly but through my writings. I do not want to
have any conflict of interest when a law involving by input has to
undergo a judicial review at the Constitutional Court.
*On her dissenting opinions: *
We agree to disagree. At the Constitutional Court I can dissent or
disagree with the others, and they will accept it. Nobody will try to
persuade me.
On being the sole woman on the Constitutional Court:
Being a woman does not mean I am treated differently by the other
judges. We have a great mix in the team, different cultural backgrounds
and different experience and expertise.
On the reason for keeping her teaching job at the law faculty at
University of Indonesia:
It's a way to challenge myself .... If I don't teach it would be
tempting for me not read or not learn anything new.
*On how she came to become a Constitutional Court judge: *
Eight female rights organizations urged me to become a judge but I
rejected their request because I like teaching. But then the president
himself asked me. I thought it would be arrogant to deny his request.
------------
Indonesian Women's Efforts to Protect Planet Overlooked
Saving the environment, as they say, starts in the home, and for some
women even a small contribution can make a difference.
Ima, a 41-year-old working mother, for instance, has always taught her
young children not to leave the faucet running or lights on around the
house.
"Most of the time, I am very, very strict with my kids about saving
water and saving electricity --- not only to control expenses, but I
want them to be grateful and appreciate what they have and others
don't," she said.
"This is also my way of introducing lessons about nature and the
environment to my kids, because you can't really expect them to grasp
the idea of saving the environment through sophisticated scientific
jargon."
Simple things, Ima said, not only contributed to present conservation
efforts but also to ensuring the planet's preservation for future
generations.
"I believe that what we're trying to do in our homes will eventually
have an effect on saving the earth, no matter how little our actions
are," she said.
This week, as the country marks Earth Day today and Kartini Day on
Wednesday, in honor of Indonesia's first women's rights advocate,
environmental activists have been highlighting the crucial role women
play in protecting Mother Earth.
Rotua Valentina Sagala, a campaigner for both women's rights and the
environment, said women were often undervalued when it came to
environmental issues.
"Women's role in protecting the environment is very significant, for the
fact that, in Indonesia, lots of women are still living in rural areas
where they are more in touch with nature. They usually also have more
enthusiasm for environment-
said.
Women in rural areas, said Valentina, who is the founder of the Women's
Institute Foundation, were rich in local wisdom that placed women in the
nurturing role of keeping the balance between human beings and nature.
"One of women's special abilities is to detect early problems. Women
have more sense for prevention rather than cure," she said. " But this
has never been noticed by the government, even on an international level."
Puspa Dewi, from the Women's Solidarity organization, said women's
environmental roles had been marginalized in society, particularly in
rural areas.
"Women-specific roles have been disappearing with advances in
technology, especially for rural women, where one of their specific
tasks was to sort and choose seeds," she said.
"Their job was replaced by tools that are mostly operated by men, such
as tractors."
Puspa said the government's preoccupation with quantified data meant
that it had failed to address the growing gender inequality in society.
"For instance, the government only looks at how much land or agriculture
has been changed into sites for mining, causing women to lose their jobs
or, additionally, maybe leaving them to face abuse from their husbands
because they are stressed from losing their jobs as farmers," she said.
"This is not to mention health issues because of these changes. These
are the indicators and results of environmental destruction, but this is
never taken into account," she added, saying that many women still faced
difficulties speaking up on these issues.
Puspa said gender sensitivity was needed at the policy-making level. "It
means that all of our policies should also need to measure how it
impacts on women's roles and their livelihood sources," she said.
"We are not talking about having a 50-50 share on places in government
anymore."
Meanwhile, Valentina criticized the State Ministry for Women's
Empowerment and Child Protection for failing to promote women's
interests in environmental issues.
"There was a movement by Ani Yudhoyono to plant one million trees, but
unfortunately it just turned out to be a ceremonial activity," she said,
referring to the first lady. "Women's issues, instead, should have been
integrated into strategic environmental planning, starting from the
planning stage to implementation, until evaluation. Women should even be
involved in discussions at the international level.
"Through gender mainstreaming in this process, we will only then know
where women stand in these areas."
Valentina said the government should be more proactive in recruiting
women to help solve lingering development problems, including
environmental issues.
"On the domestic front, there was a presidential instruction in 2000 to
promote gender mainstreaming in national development, which should be
used to reinforce women's involvement in environmental issues," she said.
But she added that women's roles should not be differentiated between
domestic and global interests. "What those women do in their homes,
starting with saving electricity or water, is actually to save this
planet. There's a strong connection between so-called domestic chores
and global interests," she said.
"But again, leaders and politicians fail to acknowledge these simple
actions on climate change that are mostly done by women, while they
continue to pronounce loudly that saving the earth should start in the
home."
*-----------
Saskia Eleonora Wieringa: *
*Debunking myths on Indonesian women's movements*
The Jakarta Post | Wed, 04/21/2010 3:59 PM | People
Dian Kuswandini
Little Saskia Eleonora Wieringa felt tortured every time her parents
asked her to dress up like a girl.
"I've always been a bit of a tomboy," recalled the 60-year-old professor
from the University of Amsterdam. "My parents were angry at me. They
wanted me to dress up like a girl."
So, Wieringa's rejection of gender stereotypes started at an early age.
"The culture in the Netherlands was so patriarchal back then. It was
torturing me," she confessed. "Women were taught to be housewives. I
couldn't agree with that. I didn't want to be a housewife.
"I wanted equality; I wanted freedom," she added.
Wieringa then found her freedom during her university years in the mid
1970s, when she occupied herself with women issues. At that time, she
founded several women's organizations and published journals
highlighting women issues.
Her interest in women issues led her to visit Indonesia in 1977. At the
time, her goal was only to complete her academic research on women batik
workers in Surakarta, Central Java. The supposedly short-visit, however,
became a lifetime attachment for her, as Wieringa spent years doing
research on the outlawed Gerwani (the Indonesian Women's Movement).
"At first, when I started my research on the women batik workers, I
found out these workers lived in very poor conditions," Wieringa said
during her recent visit to Jakarta for the Festival April event. "At
that time, I thought I should share this problem with local women groups.
"I met with women groups like Dharma Wanita, Dharma Pertiwi and PKK
[Family Empowerment and Welfare Movement], but I was very surprised to
learn that these groups only carried out activities like cooking and
costume shows -- things that looked silly to me."
Wieringa had her own reason to feel surprised. Back in the Netherlands,
she said, she had heard about a very influential wo-men's movement from
Indonesia, called Gerwani. Gerwani members, she said, were known to be
smart and prominent in defending women's and workers' rights at many
international forums.
"So, at that time, I was wondering, what has happened to Gerwani? Where
are its members?" she said. "I asked many locals about Gerwani, and
their responses were: 'Ooow, yes we know Gerwani -- they were all
prostitutes.
The responses surprised Wieringa, because she had heard that Gerwani was
a socialist movement, and that socialism was against prostitution. In
addition to that, she understood that Gerwani was totally against
polygamy, making her believe that the rumor that Gerwani's members were
involved in sex parties must be nothing but slander.
"I sensed something wrong was going on and that was how I started to
find more information on Gerwani for my research," said Wieringa of the
movement banned by former president Soeharto following the alleged 1965
coup attempt by the subsequently outlawed Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI). In the tragic events that followed, six military generals and an
officer was killed, and Gerwani -- said to be an affiliate of the PKI --
was deemed responsible for torturing them to death.
But the more Wieringa studied Gerwani and the accusations made against
it, the more she had questions dancing in her mind.
"There's no way girls aged 13 to15 would mutilate the private parts of
those 60-year-old something generals," she said. "It's illogical. Where
would those very young girls get such an idea from?"
Such thoughts led her to dig deeper into countless documents to satisfy
her curiosity. Luckily for Wieringa, she found a very important
document, containing autopsy reports on the generals. The reports, part
of scholar Benedict Anderson's papers, clearly stated that there was no
trace of razors and penknives on the generals' bodies, and that their
genitals were intact.
"So, those stories about Gerwani were all fabricated by Soeharto. Those
women never tortured the generals and didn't cut off their genitals,"
Wieringa lamented.
Forensic evidence also confirmed Wieringa's previous interviews with
some Gerwani members she met in the early 1980s. Under the highly
traumatic conditions following their arrest by Soeharto's people, these
women maintained that they were not involved in the massacre.
"At that time, I found many of them were in a traumatic state after
surviving Soeharto's cruelty," said Wieringa, who co-founded the Kartini
Asia Network. Following Soeharto's banning of Gerwani, she went on,
thousands of its members were murdered, while many others were held in
prison -- tortured and sexually abused.
"It was difficult to talk to Gerwani members at that time," said
Wieringa, who was once banned by Soeharto from entering Indonesia.
"There were military officers who were always keeping their eyes on them.
"I secretly and carefully carried out my research because we [my sources
and I] were in danger," she added.
Being trapped in such a dangerous situation also forced her to halt her
research. It took years before she could return to Indonesia to continue
and crosscheck her research in 1995.At that time, although she managed
to complete the research for her dissertation under the title The
Aborted Women's Movement in Indonesia, she needed to hide many
identities of her sources for safety reasons.
However, the research, which was later published in the form of a book,
has been regarded as the most influential work on the Indonesian women's
movement and inspired many Indonesian feminists and right activists.
Now, 30 years after she first deconstructed the myths about Gerwani,
Wieringa took the chance to launch the revised version of her book,
entitled Penghancuran Gerakan Perempuan: Politik Seksual di Indonesia
Pasca Kejatuhan PKI (The Destruction of the Women's Movement: Sexual
Politics in Indonesia after the Downfall of the Indonesian Communist Party).
"It took me a long time to publish this [revised version of my] book
because my research was considered dangerous and I was blacklisted [by
Soeharto]," she said. "I had to hide many facts in the previous version,
but here [in the revised one], I revealed everything."
Although she finally had the chance to share her research with the
Indonesian public, who has lived with Soeharto's lies about Gerwani for
years, Wieringa said she wouldn't stop working on women issues in the
country.
"I've become so attached to Indonesia and these Gerwani women," Wieringa
said, referring to a number of older women, who attended her book
launching that day. "I just couldn't come taking facts from them and
[then simply] say good bye. I don't want to leave them."
That was why, Wieringa went on, she was planning to spend the rest of
her life in Indonesia.
"My plan is to move to Indonesia after retiring from teaching at the
University of Amsterdam," she smiled. "I'm also a mualaf [a convert to
Islam] now. So I feel that Indonesia would be a perfect place for me to
spend the rest of my life."
* * *
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