Wednesday, July 31, 2024

The 30 Percent of Women's Representation in Parliament is not only a Matter of Numbers but also Inclusivity

 Efer Musa Tamungku

Persentase Keterwakilan Perempuan di Parlemen
Women's representation in parliament is crucial to achieve inclusivity in the law-making process.

Feminist Society - All political contests in Indonesia from various periods show that women's involvement in parliamentary seats tends to be less than men, this provides evidence that there is still a gender gap between women and men in politics. This social life phenomenon is common, especially concerning basic rights between men and women, there is a gap that is proven by the patriarchal life system that is still rooted in which men are considered more dominant than women in various aspects of life. Conditions like this give rise to injustice towards women.

The issue of gender disparity in representative institutions or parliaments is still a concern in several countries, including Australia. Australia was the first country to recognize the right to vote and sit in parliament in 1902 after the enactment of the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 (IPU, Women's Suffrage).

The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 was the law that gave most Australian women the right to vote in Australian federal elections. The act stated that all persons not under the age of twenty-one years, whether married or unmarried, who had resided in Australia for 6 (six) months continuously and who were indigenous or non-residents who had acquired citizenship as determined by the monarch, were entitled to vote and be elected in Australian federal elections.

This provides concrete facts that developed countries in implementing the concept of legal development that places equal rights regardless of gender can make their countries advanced. The Inter-Parliamentary Union reported that on October 1, 2017, the ratio of women to men who became members of the Indonesian parliament was still below the world average where Indonesia was ranked 100.

Basically, Indonesia has the spirit to fight for women's political rights as marked by the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This agreement is considered as the International Charter of Rights for Women which was established by the United Nations (UN) in 1979 and came into force in 1981.

The basic principle mandated in CEDAW is that the participating countries of this international convention are obliged to ensure equality or equal participation between women and men in various fields such as politics, economics, social, culture and civil. It is stated in Article 7 of the convention that participating countries must take action to guarantee political rights for women such as the right to vote and be elected in general elections and the right to participate in the formulation of government policies.

Women's representation in legislative elections in Indonesia is regulated in Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections, where women's political rights are channeled through political parties, this channeling can be done through women's participation in building a political party or becoming part of a political party. Although women's representation in parliament continues to show an increase in each legislative election, the 30% threshold as mandated in the Election Law has not been met. This is one of the problems that must be immediately resolved.

You can also read: The Importance of Women's Participation in Politics

The need to increase women's representation can be accommodated in Politics as reflected in Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections. Article 245 states that the list of prospective DPR and DPRD candidates submitted by political parties must contain at least 30 percent female representation. The consequence of the concept of women's representation in parliament is a form of coercive regulation, because there is a disqualification mechanism as an election participant if the management at the central level of women does not meet the 30% quota.

The regulation provides instructions to force political parties to meet a minimum quota of 30% women. In principle, there are four reasons why women's quotas in elections are important. First, it demands the principle of justice for men and women. Second, it offers a role model for the success of female politicians. Third, it identifies the special interests of women that are not visible. Fourth, it emphasizes the differences in women's relationships with politics, while also showing their presence in improving the quality of politics. This mechanism is a form of Go Politics from women, not only as an activity to enter the process, mechanism, institution, and political system (crafting democracy) but also as a form of participation in women's political representation that is able to expand the constituent base (broadening base). In this effort, affirmative action is important for building women's political strategies.

In the future, it is hoped that the 30% threshold mechanism for women's representation as members of the People's Representative Council can be fulfilled purely and consistently, in order to realize an inclusive political system through optimal women's representation in parliament.

If you are interested in issues related to gender equality and in-depth discussion about feminism, let's join with Feminist Society. Feminist Society aims to promote progress in gender equality and women’s rights activism through education and advocacy. To get related articles, please visit the page https://feminist-society.blogspot.com/.

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View More:

The Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections.

Azizah Ratu Buana Khan & Ruli Agustin. The Judicialization of Politics on the Testing of the Constitutionality of the Age Limits of Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates by the Constitutional Court. Journal of Law, Politic, and Humanities. Volume 4. Number 4. (2024). https://dinastires.org/JLPH/article/view/433

https://giwps.georgetown.edu/why-ratifying-the-convention-on-the-elimination-of-discrimination-against-women-cedaw-is-good-for-americas-domestic-policy/

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