TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Siti Nurbaya: Pioneer in her new environment
JP/NURHAYATIAs the first woman to hold the position of secretary general of the Regional Represenatives Council, Siti Nurbaya Bakar is a rare player in Indonesian politics, setting an example for women across the country
Change Size
JP/NURHAYATI
As the first woman to hold the position of secretary general of the Regional Represenatives Council, Siti Nurbaya Bakar is a rare player in Indonesian politics, setting an example for women across the country.
Despite her political career peaking at a level below that of female world figures like Argentinian President Evita Peron, Britain’s former prime minister Margaret Thacher or the late former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, she is proud of being an Indonesian woman and of what she has achieved throughout her three-decade career as a civil servant.
She is also proud that Indonesia gives women equal opportunity, including former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, to play role in politics, more so even than the male-dominated political landscape of the US.
“More and more female figures are emerging to show their capacity as more than household managers in almost all aspects of life. Compared to other developing countries, the predominantly Muslim country is leaping forward in the development of gender equality. The key problem is equal opportunity. Everyone can develop and achieve spectacular achievements if he or she is given the chance,” Siti told The Jakarta Post.
Siti, 54, began her career as an agriculture campaign specialist in the Lampung provincial government in 1979. There she developed her passion for bureaucracy through the unique experience as being the first woman in her new work environment.
Someone might say that Siti’s appointment to secretary general of the Council by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004 was purely incidental and opportunistic. But history shows that she was experienced in the positions of leadership, with Megawati entrusting her with the number two position at the Home Ministry from 2001 to 2004.
“I was the first masters holder among civil servants in 1988 and the first PhD holder in the bureaucracy in 1998. After that, more and more civil servants received scholarships to undergo postgraduate and doctorate programs abroad and at home,” said Siti who earned her masters at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences in the Netherlands and her PhD from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB).
Siti enjoys the challenges that have been thrown at her throughout her steadily advancing career, seeing them as chances to be more creative and innovative in giving service to the public and helping improve the people’s welfare.
“I’ve learned that life is a continuous challenge of innovation and the curriculum of life is whether the targets are reached or not. To be the first of something is most definitely something memorable,” she said Siti cites that her success stems form her ability and willingness take risks while not being afraid to make mistake in pursuing those “innovations”.
She also said she was nominated to the post of home minister in 2000 and 2004 but turned it down in favor of staying part of the country’s bureaucracy.
“Just last November two ministers offered me position as special assistant but I was not interested in the offer because the Council still needs me to build the the new legislative institution’s capacity,” she said, adding that it was a good time to work in the Cabinet with the unpredictable political climate.
Since becoming secretary general, Siti has pioneered the hiring of fresh university graduates, instead of importing old staff from ministries and state agencies, to help polish the Council’s image and improve its productivity. “Now we are moving to build Council branch offices in all 33 provinces, a project that needs be completed by next year. So far, everything has progressed smoothly and transparently and no complaints have emerged,” she said.
Siti came up with the idea to introduce a minimum quota of 30 percent for women’s positions in political parties and legislative elections during her tenure at the Home Ministry in 2002. “I got the idea from Argentina’s political laws thanks to the long fight from the Peronist party. As a result, we’ve got more and more women in parliament.
“Although women and children do not yet play a key role in the law-making process, lawmakers should bear in mind that women are the most vulnerable to discrimination in those laws,” she said.
She was also deeply concerned over the disappearance of government-sponsored, grass-root social movements, such as the integrated service posts (Posyandu) and the dissolvement of family-planning centers, which she says has contributed to the high infant and maternal mortality rate. “The poverty that afflicts 39 million people must also be alleviated rapidly to control the rapid population growth and the high infant and maternal mortality rate.”
She acknowledged that political experience has made her more mature in executing her tasks and increased her responsibility in the bureaucracy. Since her employment as a civil servant in Lampung, she has played an active role in the Golkar Party-affiliated Indonesian Younger Generation for Reform (AMPI) and even chaired the mass organization in 1993. “Bureaucracy is a training ground to qualify as a politician. A bureaucrat is required to be able to perform administrative function, prepare necessary policies, articulate the people’s aspirations and maintain political stability.”
When asked what motivated her to work hard in developing her career, Siti said she was obsessed to prove that the harrassing adage she heard during her study in the Netherlands was absolutely wrong.
“It said that whatever women do, they must do it twice as much as men to be thought half as good. It has now been proven wrong by many Indonesian women,” she said, citing that working for 30 years in the bureaucracy, she had never taken leave, other than maternity leave to give birth to her two children.
Siti has criticized the ongoing reform in the country’s bureaucracy, which she said has not yet produced progressive bureaucrats. “The reform should not only focus on the revamp of the system but also the internalization of values to change bureaucracy’s mindset. The bureaucracy is the backbone of the government and national development and therefore it does need creative and innovative officials and staff to better the public service.”
According to her, civil servants must be able to internalize noble values of the public life leaving selflessness behind and have integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership in their service to the public.
