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Local values block female participation in politics: LIPI

Research conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found that local values impede women’s progression and participation in the country’s politics

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Thu, November 29, 2012

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Local values block female participation in politics: LIPI

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esearch conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found that local values impede women’s progression and participation in the country’s politics.

LIPI found that cultural barriers, founded on patriarchal values adhered to by traditional ethnic communities in the country had limited women at the local political level.

“In general, [patriarchal values] are still dominant in our society. Women who are active in public life can be easily found in big cities. However, in rural areas they remain in the domestic sphere,” LIPI senior researcher Syamsuddin Haris said on Wednesday.

Syamsuddin along with four senior researchers authored the survey, published in Women, Political Parties and Parliament, which was released on Wednesday

As part of the research process a team from LIPI was dispatched to four provinces to investigate female participation in local politics.

In Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, women were found to be discouraged from entering politics and becoming community leaders because of local conservative Islamic values, Sri Yanuarti, one of the researchers, said.

Aceh is one of the provinces with the lowest number of women at the local council level. In Aceh, only four out of the 69 council members are women.

As mandated by the Election Law, women must account for a minimum 30 percent of various governmental bodies and there is a penalty if this minimum requirement is not met.

Currently, 108 of 506 lawmakers at the House of Representatives are women, only 18.06 percent. The number is much lower than neighboring Timor Leste, which has 38.5 percent female representation at its parliament.

The survey found that in Papua, female councilors constantly struggle against local values, which deem women as objects for men and have no right to make their own decisions.

In Aceh and Papua, like in many other patriarchal societies, politics is deemed a man’s domain and women are not allowed to enter, the study says.

In other areas, artificial barriers are created to discourage women from joining politics.

In West Nusa Tenggara, the LIPI researchers found that the provincial council often held plenary sessions to decide crucial issues late at night.

“In the late hours, many female councilors have to take care of their children. Some are even prohibited to go home at this time of night because local values still see this taboo,” Sri said.

One recommendation from the research was for political parties to help improve women’s participation in politics.

Political parties have the obligation to provide education and training for their female members.

Responding to the research, Eva Kusuma Sundari, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said political parties were to blame for the role of women in local politics.

Eva said that political parties failed to adequately prepare female members for politics.

“Political parties should have a strong political will and a commitment to facilitate women’s entry into politics,” Eva said. (riz)

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