Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has to pick more women to sit in his next Cabinet to promote gender equality, say women activists.
Besides Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia still has Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Jaleswari Pramodawardani and many other women with competence and integrity who could help the President achieve progress in the next five years, said Saparinah Sadli, former chairwoman of the National Commission for Women's Rights.
She admitted Nursyahbani, legislator-turned law expert, and Jaleswari, a political expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) were two women proposed by the commission to the President for the Cabinet.
"These names are only a couple of the female figures the commission has nominated as ministers. These women are competent in their own areas of expertise and have the integrity to help the President achieve advances," she told The Jakarta Post here over the weekend.
Sri Mulyani and Mari Pengestu were two of 17 minister candidates who were briefed by the President and vice-president-elect Boediono and signed an integrity pact at Yudhoyono's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, on Saturday.
Evita Legowo, director general for oil and gas at the Energy and Mining Ministry, and several other women leading were expected to be part of the 17 others who were scheduled to undergo a fit-and-proper test and briefing at the same place.
"The remaining 17 ministerial candidates will be briefed on Sunday and Monday," Presidential spokesman Andi Alvian Mallarangeng said.
The President said on Wednesday that he would pick more women candidates in his next Cabinet to promote gender equality.
Up to Saturday, Yudhoyono has yet to brief the ministerial candidates who will be entrusted to deal with the portfolios for women's welfare and health affairs.
"If the President is serious with his statement, then he should allocate more than five posts to women in his Cabinet. All we need to do now is wait to see whether he keeps his word or not," Saparinah said.
Saparinah also criticized a statement of Ahmad Mubarok, Yudhoyono's close aide, that it was not the right time for women to take more strategic positions in the next government.
"I think it is a setback to say that women can only take up either the post of women's empowerment minister or that of the social minister," she said.
Women's activist Smita Notosusanto said that Yudhoyono should be willing to have the guts to give strategic posts, such as the defense ministry, to women to show the country's progress in gender equality.
"Jaleswari with her expertise as a defense analyst and intelligence expertise can carry the ball as defense minister. Another suitable candidate is Dewi Fortuna Anwar," she said.
Dewi was once the top advisor to Indonesia's third president, B.J. Habibie. She was in charge of formulating foreign policies and also became the spokeswoman for Habibie.
Commenting on Nuryahbani, Smita said that her past track record as a prominent human rights activist, who fought for women's welfare, was enough to prove her competence for the justice and human rights portfolio or the labor portfolio.
"Most Indonesian migrant workers abroad are women. Nursyahbani has shown in the past that she has a great passion for their welfare and rights," she said.
Meanwhile, Umi Farida from the Legal Aid Institute for Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH Apik), said Yudhoyono should at least allocate 30 percent of his Cabinet ministerial posts to women.
"That is if the President is really serious about ensuring equality between genders in his next Cabinet. The current number of woman ministers, which is four, is still to low," she said.
"I am sure that the country has enough capable women to take up at least 10 posts," she added. (hdt)