T

he House of Representatives’ deliberations on the gender equality bill have turned into a battleground between feminists and conservative groups in society, according to one observer.

Any Sutjipto, a gender expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), said that lawmakers have been deliberating the bill with religious conservatives, which would likely stall its progress and make it unlikely that the House would endorse the bill by the end of the year, as scheduled.

“From the beginning, women’s groups have had different opinions on whether they need the bill in the first place. These groups have different ideologies,” Any told The Jakarta Post.

Groups that supported the bill would likely provide more access to women who have yet to give their support for the bill, Any said.

Those who have thrown their support behind the bill have said that its passage was imperative, even though the government previously ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1984.

Critics have said that there was no legally binding regulation that could be used to improve the condition of women.

Even among groups that supported, it has been difficult to ask them to sit together and make an agreement.

“Among the groups that support the bill, such as the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, the Women’s Caucus and Komnas Perempuan [the National Commission on the Protection from Violence Against Women], it is hard to make them sit together and talk about the substance of the bill as they have no agreement yet as to how the bill should take shape,” Ani said.

To complicate matters, progressive groups now must deal with more united conservative groups.

“Groups like the FPI [Islam Defenders Front] and the FBR [Betawi Brotherhood Forum] distribute leaflets or give sermons saying that the bill contradicts religion and family values,” she said.

The Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), Muhammadiyah women’s organization Aisyiah, the Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani), and the Assembly of Indonesian Muslim Young Intellectuals (MIUMI) are among the groups that have openly stated opposition to the bill.

Some activists said that articles in the bill would lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage or would encourage women to favor professional opportunities over their household roles.

Mariana Amiruddin of Women’s Journal said that conservative groups were paranoid about the perceived intrusion of “western” values.

“It’s a pity that the basic ideas of the bill are left untouched. Most groups that came to the hearing at the House were concerned only about the title of the bill and the term ‘gender’ without trying to understand the basic issues” she said.

Ninik Rahayu, deputy chairperson of Komnas Perempuan, said that the commission would support the bill if it provided protection for women from both physical and structural violence.