Medan – Protesters calling themselves the Women’s Liberation Progressive Committee (KP3), which is an alliance of the North Sumatra Islamic University (UISU) Islamic Students Association Commissariat (HMI-KOM) faculty of agriculture, the UISU HMI-KOM faculty of literature, Free Women (Perempuan Mahardhika), the Political Union of the Poor (PPRM), the United Indonesian Labour Movement (PPBI), the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation, held a protest action in front of the North Sumatra Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Tuesday March 8.
The action was accompanied by the burning of an effigy resembling corpse symbolising the failure of the government system under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). “This is evidence of the failure of the SBY leadership system and his lackeys”, said action coordinator Jumeida Hutauruk from the PPRM. Singing the song “Patriot’s Blood”, housewives who took part in the action raised their fists in the air.
Women should have reaped the benefits of prosperity since the proclamation of Indonesian independence, but what has happened has in fact been the opposite. “This is despite the fact that our country has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women”, shouted Jumeida.
According to Jumeida, despite the signing the convention in 1984, discrimination against women continues to occur, from exploitation, violence in all kinds of forms to disparities in social rights, education, the economy, healthcare, culture and politics.
“Provide health insurance for women”, said Jumeida, adding that the liberation of women is an absolute right in order that women are no longer exploited.
During the action, which involved around 50 people, they also read out a statement in front of DPRD representative Jamaluddin Harahap.
In the statement they called on the government to take serious action on violence against women, both mental and psychological, to provide the people with decent housing and drinking water, the broadest possible employment opportunities, quality, modern and free healthcare, and an end to all forms of discrimination and intimidation against women, and free education that is scientific, democratic and with a pro-people perspective.
They also called for decent education and protection for women migrant workers, the repeal of Law Number 1/1967 on Capital Investment, the annulment of Labour Law Number 13/2003 and its replacement with a pro-workers law.
The statement also offered several solutions for the government’s consideration such as the nationalisation of foreign assents, the repudiation of the foreign debt, the development of a people’s national industry and the expansion of job opportunities.
In his response, Jamaluddin Harahap said that he also supports the struggle for women’s rights. “I am also part of this movement”, he said. Harahap however said that actions in the name of women should not involve men so that the action is purely and clearly from women without contamination by the interests of other parties. “As if there are those making use of it”, he said.
The National Mandate Party (PAN) politician, who is also the deputy speaker of the DPRD, said he was disappointed because many of the protesters’ complaints were valid. “Moreover, to this day, in the law it states that the composition [of women] in the House of Representatives [should be] 30 percent. However the truth is that currently there are only around 11 people [women] in the North Sumatra DPRD”, he said. Harahap added that their statement would be conveyed to the house leadership to be fought for.
After setting fire to the corpse, the protesters disbanded peacefully. (benny pasaribu/franzul sianturi)
Source: Pemerintah Dituntut Perhatikan Kesejahteraan Perempuan – MedanBisnis. Rabu, 09 Maret 2011
[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]
