INDONESIA: Indonesia Launches Women Politics Empowerment Program

Due to its apparent efforts to improve women participation in politics, Indonesia was elected as the first country in the Asia Pacific region to see on Thursday the launching of politics empowerment program for women initiated by international agencies.

The program, called "I Know Politics", was aimed at promoting women's gender equality to men in political forum worldwide.

The program that is widespread through internet was initiated by five international agencies that comprised of International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), The Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations for Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

"This program would significantly help Indonesian women's efforts in seeking equal opportunity in political forums, using their electoral rights and improving the rights to be chosen in elections," Indonesian Women and Children Empowerment Minister Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar said in her remarks in the program launching.

She said that Indonesia has been tremendously demonstrating the efforts to promote women in national political forum by placing more women in central and regional parliaments in 2004 and 2009 legislative elections.

"In central parliament, women representatives have been enormously increased from 12 percent in 2004 election to 18 percent in 2009 election. It was recorded the highest number in the world," Linda pointed out.

She said that the government has been providing supports toward the efforts to improve women's participation in politics by amending the existing law that regulates gender equality in the development program and implementing various women empowerment programs.

According to Linda, due to their given conditions that destined them as housewives and men-dependant persons, women have to take more efforts if they want to plunge in national politics.

Unlike men, in the patriarch-culture country like Indonesia, women face stereotype, stigma and hurdle from men who do not want them to exist in politics, the minister added.