Jakarta – The House of Representatives is gearing up to deliberate the draft law on political parties, which addresses the lack of female political representation in the country.
"Parties are dominated by men. If that were not the case, we would not suggest stipulating the 30 percent membership for women in the draft," said Cecep Effendi, a political expert from the Center for Public Policy Research, at a seminar organized by the Home Ministry and the Indonesian Center for Women in Politics on Monday.
Only 61 of the 550 members of the House elected in the 2004 election are women, a statistic that does not reflect reality as more than half of Indonesia's population are women.
The draft law, which centers on the requirements for the establishment of political parties, is currently awaiting approval from the House, Cecep said.
"If members of the House do not approve the draft until the end of 2007, it might be too late for it to be implemented in the 2009 elections," said Cecep, who has been involved in the discussion of the draft law with the legislature.
The government and the House are in the process of amending a package of laws on politics addressing political parties, legislative elections, presidential elections and the structure and position of the legislatures.
Cecep said the amendment of the four laws should be done simultaneously because they were interrelated.
The government wants the amendments to be completed no later than the end of the year to allow the General Elections Commission enough time to prepare for the 2009 election.
Secretary to the State Minister for Women's Empowerment Koensahwanto Inpasihardjo, who spoke at the seminar, said that women who are generally treated as second-class citizens often lack the confidence to demand a stronger political position.
"Only few women are involved in the legislative structure or hold decision-making positions," he said. This means that public policies prepared by the government are less women-oriented, he said.
Titi Sumbung, executive director of the Indonesian Center for Women in Politics, said it is important to encourage women to play active roles in politics so the aspirations of all women can be accommodated. "Women are victims of bad policy," she said, adding that this was why many women have been left behind men in almost every aspect of life, including education, health and prosperity.
Also speaking at the seminar, the director for political participation and representativeness at the Home Ministry, Sihite, said his directorate would draft a regulation as guidance for regional administrations to better empower women in the regions.
Sihite said women, as well as mass organizations, must work with the government because the state could not remedy the condition of women on its own.