Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Major factions at the House of Representatives agreed Thursday to set a 30 percent quota for women as party executives in the bill on political parties.
The Golkar Party, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), National Awakening Party (PKB), United Development Party (PPP) and National Mandate Party (PAN) factions said the bill should explicitly stipulate that 30 percent of the positions at the parties' central executive boards, provincial chapters and regional branches be given to women.
The gender equality issue was raised in a deliberation session between a House special committee on the bill and Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto and Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalatta.
Golkar faction spokesman Tyas Indiyah said the 30 percent quota was an affirmative action that needed to be regulated in the bill to ensure the representation of women in legislatures and the executive body. "It is aimed at providing legal certainty for gender equality," she said.
Law No. 31/2002 on Political Parties does not mention the female quota in parties' structures.
Eva Sundari of PDI-P stressed the importance of regulating gender equality to show parties' commitments to gradually phasing out gender inequality, accepting the reality that the majority of voters were women and showing support for women's roles in families and child education.
"A moral commitment must be backed up by a political commitment to empowering women and their roles in society," she said.
PPP spokesman Arief Mudatsir Mandan said political parties had the moral obligation and responsibility to allocate positions to women in parties and nominate them for the 2009 legislative election, in order to offer more attention to women's issues in executive policies. "The 30 percent quota for female politicians should be a legal requirement," Arief said.
In the 2004 legislative election, many parties nominated female members as legislative candidates, but only a small number were elected since most were positioned at the bottom of the nomination list.
Ida Fauziah and Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, both PKB legislators, criticized the government's draft bill which did not regulate the minimum quota, saying the bill should have a transition ruling that a party short of female politicians must meet the quota in phases.
"The government should bear in mind the House and the state minister for women's empowerment have reached an agreement that the ministry's policies will be based on the interests of women and children," said Nursyahbani.
Minister Mardiyanto said the government did not include the 30 percent quota in the bill because many parties had experienced difficulties with recruiting women in their provincial and regional structures.
"Parties should prepare potential female members in anticipation of the bill... if the quota becomes mandatory in the future," he said.
Of the current 550 House members, around 12 percent are women. However, they have yet to significantly influence government policies, despite having their own caucus.