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‘Not a victory’: Puan’s election as House speaker gets mixed response from feminists
Critics say that Puan's rise to be the first female House of Representatives speaker is not a breakthrough for feminism but instead is part of the oligarchy.
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House of Representatives members from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction pose for a picture while pointing at Puan Maharani at the House building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Oct. 1, 2019. The PDI-P won the 2019 legislative election and was entitled to appoint Puan as House speaker for 2019-2024. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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any see the rise of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Puan Maharani to become the first female House of Representatives speaker as a breakthrough for women’s leadership in politics and policymaking.
But while some regard Puan’s election positively, feminists seem to have mixed feelings about the issue, with critics attributing her soaring political career to the fact that she is the heir apparent to the leadership of country’s largest party.
Devi Asmarani, the cofounder and chief editor of Jakarta-based web magazine and feminism journal Magdalene, says Puan’s ascent to lead the male-dominated House was not a victory for the feminist movement in the country.
“I think everyone realizes this is an illustration of how strong the oligarchy is in our politics,” Devi told The Jakarta Post, “Is this a win for feminist? Of course not.”
Puan, the daughter of PDI-P matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri who is longest-serving party leader in the country, is not a new name in politics as she served both as lawmaker and minister before being sworn in as the House speaker for the 2014-2019 legislative term on Tuesday.
The granddaughter of first president Sukarno previously served as coordinating human development and culture minister for nearly five years after PDI-P-backed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo took office in October 2014.
Devi argued that Puan had achieved little during her five-year tenure as minister and that her track record in politics ─ which Devi said was rather insignificant ─ indicated scant interest in the feminist agenda.
