1. IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE INDONESIAN WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIAN
BY EDDIE SIREGAR
SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE PEOPLE’S CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

2. BACKGROUNDS
Why the figure of women has been a great topic of discourse over the past and presents:
Thousand of years women has been under the power of men;
Women has been lower than men since centuries;
History proves the one who play mostly in public sectors are the men;
Women are only as “Konco Winking” at the concept of Javanese Thought;

3. Patriarchy culture has strictly on how to be a woman and how to be a man
Woman : soft, pretty, emotional, matronly
and other nature of feminine;
Man : strong, manly and rational.

4. The big concerns for the women movements:
The Assumption that women are weak, smooth, sensitive and other natures of feminine personality;
Women have been considered as second class citizens;
Women don’t have to earn high education, as long as they could do the cooking, taking care of children and house;

5. Women in the Parliament
The struggle for equality between man and woman in the national life also happened in the political world in Indonesia;
Since the wave of reformation flows in 1998, it has increased the women roles in politics;
The women movement has contributed to the emanating of the Act of 8/2008;
Article 65 Act 12/2003 regulates 30% quota for women;

6. Women legislature candidates significantly increased in the 2004 and 2009 election;
Representation of women has become very important in the frame work of “the politics of presence” and within the framework of “the politic of ideas”;
Good response of the national gender equality as we see in the Act of Political Party and Elections which guarantee the representation of women in the House of Representation;

7. Representation of Women in Parliament also gives:
A quantitative raise of the women’s participation in the political decision making process;
Flourishing the substance of the gender responsive development policy which will support the caring of children and good contribution for the conduct of democracy in Indonesia;
Contribution to the social capital in order to trigger the accommodative power structure for the aspiration, needs, problems and the interest of women and children;

8. Strategy of Increasing Women Representation In The Parliaments:
To raise the number of women in parliament should be conducted in democratic ways i.e. honest and fair elections;
In the Election of the electoral systems, the constitution has actually sided to the women;
Use the proportional system to elect members of the House of Representatives (DPR), Provincial Houses (DPRD Province), District Houses (DPRD Kabupaten/Kota).

9. The World has 3 electoral system :
The plurality-majority systems;
Proportional systems;
Semi proportional systems.
Ricard Matland : based on the logic of mathematics supported by many countries result election data, it can inferred that proportional election systems increase the number of women in the Parliament.

10. Technical Electoral Variable
Direct:
Determination of the area election
Method of nomination
Polling methods
Chair acquisition formula
Selecting candidates assessment formula
Indirect
The limitation of the political party as the participants of the elections (electoral threshold)
Limitation of the political party entering the parliament

11. The effect of limitation of the political party in having women candidates:
If the number of political party participants, the possibility for women to be elected would be more high because the earning of seats would be more concentrated only to some political parties;
If the earning of seats will be distribute to more political parties, the chance for women to be elected would be more smaller because the political party only earn few seats;
The tendency applies that the larger number of
parliamentary threshold, the less political parties enters the
Parliament.

12. Some policies to elevate the role of women in politics:
Increase the women self confidence;
Should have ability in formulate network among groups of women from various elements;
The women’s group should have the courage to conduct cultural reconstruction efforts, particularly in changing the patriarchy culture which is so strong in society.

13. The role of women would be more meaningful
Could be able to work together as partners on equal level with the men in various field particularly in the parliament;
Fighting for the representation in the decision making process in the attempt on providing the equality between men and women.