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Jakarta Post

Choose candidates who support sexual violence eradication bill

Evi Mariani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, April 5, 2019

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Choose candidates who support sexual violence eradication bill Standing up against sexual violence: Carrying black umbrellas, activists march on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta toward Aspiration Park near the Presidential Palace. The activists held a mass rally as part of this year’s global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign, during which they called on the government to immediately pass the sexual violence eradication bill into a law. (The Jakarta Post/Iqbal Yuwansyah)

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ess than two weeks ahead of the general election, online discussion groups have been abuzz with heated, ugly debates about nonvoters. In the end, the debates are essentially about the presidential race, while the legislative election has been so far untouched by these political commentators.

The arguments against nonvoters, at least among my circle of friends and acquaintances, mostly highlight the achievements of incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the hazards of choosing his rival, Prabowo Subianto. Some even put forward a grandiose argument, saying that choosing Jokowi will save the nation.

Although choosing the right legislative candidate might not be equal to saving the whole nation, it can help us advance our interests regarding one important bill.

For women and men who believe in the eradication of sexual abuse against women (or men) and who believe in humanity, we should make sure that we choose a legislative candidate who will support the sexual violence eradication bill.

Initiated by the House of Representatives, this bill has been on the legislation table for years, and now it has been the subject of debate between parties in the House. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) says the bill is promoting liberal values. A conservative Muslim activist, Maimon Herawati, started a petition against the bill, calling it “pro-adultery and pro-LGBT”, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The deliberation will commence again after the election and we cannot know for sure when it will end. It may continue after the House inaugurates new legislators in October.

However, there are legislators who have been supporting the bill and there are parties who initiated it. So as voters, we should carefully select candidates in our respective electoral districts. Make sure you research the background of the candidate you choose. If necessary, find the candidate’s social media account or contact number, and ask him or her about how strong his or her commitment to support the bill is.

Also read the news about the House’s debate on this subject, and identify legislators who have supported the bill. Who knows, these people might run again in your electoral district.

I have checked the names of candidates running in my electoral district in South Tangerang, Banten, and have spent and will spend these next few days checking their track record. One way to do this, if the candidate has served as a legislator, is to check their profile on WikiDPR.id, a website dedicated to monitoring legislators.

If your candidates are new, I suggest you track their social media accounts, and perhaps send them a private message asking them where they stand on the bill.

I am aware that choosing a candidate on the basis of only one bill could be a disadvantage. First, you could end up with a candidate from a party you do not exactly prefer. This party, perhaps, has a track record of corrupt politicians.

Second, this might feel shortsighted and narrow-minded for some people because Indonesia has so many problems, so why think only about one bill?

I’m not saying it will save the nation or that it is the only one that is important for us to care about. But I believe this bill is among the most important ones the nation has ever deliberated.

The Jakarta Post has collaborated with media outlets Tirto.id and VICE Indonesia to uncover sexual abuse on campuses. As we found from online testimony we shared with readers, cases are widespread.

Gadjah Mada University (UGM) might be on top of people’s minds when we talk about sexual abuse on campuses, but it is just one institution that happens to have brave victims that spoke up and reported their cases. We found fresh cases at Diponegoro University in Semarang, past cases at Padjadjaran University in Bandung and a recent case at a private university in Bali. And we have received testimonies from many places, including state and private universities.

And we have not even talked about sexual abuse in schools, workplaces, public spaces and families. Cases of fathers raping their own daughters have surfaced several times recently. Teachers molested children and friends assaulted friends. And I am sure that what has come to the surface is only a fraction of what has been going on under the radar.

We have also found that most victims are afraid to speak out. We are glad that we can talk to the brave ones. They are scared for a valid reason: perpetrators’ impunity.

I believe the bill on the eradication of sexual violence will help victims speak out because it has stipulations that protect them. With more victims speaking out, the bill will help end perpetrators’ impunity and will make us, as a society, better. And the bills’ passing will surely make this nation better therefore it is important that we use our one vote on April 17 for this single objective.

So whatever you decide to do with regards to the presidential election, please choose a legislative candidate who will support the eradication of sexual violence against our fellow citizens.



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