IO – Indonesian women’s participation in the Parliaments is still considered insufficient. According to the World Bank (2019), Indonesia is ranked 7th in Southeast Asia for women’s representation in terms of men / women Parliamentary member ratios.
The small number of women representing others exacerbates gender equality policies and nurtures an incapability to respond to the core problems faced by women.
DPP Gerindra Party Chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said that women’s political representation in the Parliament is not limited to meeting written requirements or statutory regulations. Many of the country’s problems should be discussed by all elements, including women. In the Parliament, many of the initiatives arose from women legislators.
“It’s not because we want to meet the 30% quota or to follow the law and regulations. We’re doing it because it is necessary,” he said while attending the national working meeting of Perempuan Indonesia Raya (PIRA, or Greater Indonesia Women), an auxiliary group of Gerindra Party, Jakarta, Wednesday (12/22/2021).
The Gerindra Party is currently represented by 15 females among the 78 legislators or 19.2%. This figure is still far from the 30% affirmation, as was first stated in Law No. 10/2008 and amended in Election Law No. 7.
Dasco said the Gerindra Party has been established for 14 years with a slew of cadres who have potentials and tenacity. “This is all in our hands to realize the 30% quota for women,” he said.
In the meeting, attended by all 34 representatives of the Provincial Executive Board and Branch Executive Board (representative of cities/ districts) from all over Indonesia, the central PIRA committee and PIRA from the provinces and districts consolidated to increase the representation of women in the Parliament in 2024, which is occupied by female Gerindra cadres through PIRA.
In the two-day meeting on Dec. 21-22, 2021, PIRA groups from all over Indonesia officially declared their support for Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto to run in the upcoming 2024 general election. “We are ready to support and champion Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 presidential election,” said the PIRA committee simultaneously.
In his speech, Dasco asked the PIRA committee to stay driven in reinforcing the Gerindra Party with programs that synergize with the DPP and other Gerindra Party wings.
“We warmly welcome the declaration made by PIRA on this historic date on Mother’s Day on Dec. 22. This will certainly bolster the fighting spirit of the Gerindra party. Mother’s Day is also a historic day for the Gerindra Party, when women from Sabang to Merauke unite to support and encourage our party’s Chairman to become President to improve the condition of the public,” he explained.
PIRA’s Chairwoman Dr. Sumarjati Arjoso added that the 30% affirmation should not be only up to the list-of-candidates level, but it must reach be realized in the number of elected legislative members. “It is the struggle of all women to increase this number of representatives to 30%. This fight concerns all women, not only in the Gerindra Party, but also all over Indonesia,” she explained.
“With those in the regions, we will discuss how we can move together, support each other, synergize with each other, so that we can get qualified legislative candidates and hopefully they will fill the seats in the Parliament, at central, provincial and district/city levels,” she said. (eka)