“We are women in parliament able to unit beyond political party’s interest…now men are thinking to unit themselves too,” said Aisyah, one of women parliament from Fertilin during exposure visit of participants of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) which was held on 29 September to 1 October 2011 in Dili-Timor Leste. This article is intended to share success story of building synergy in Timor Leste, in which women rights’ practitioners and women parliament are tied by a goal.
Being independent from Indonesia has provided a wider space for women movement in Timor Leste to speed the fulfillment of the human women rights. One of positive improvement that has been gained by women in parliament is Election Law in which 30% women quota in parliament is seriously considered. Currently, 21 out of 61 parliament members in Timorese government are women. The number will remain the same with affirmative action regulation applied that only women can replace women parliament seats, should replacement be taken.
What factors are underlying the success of women parliament in Timor Leste? Based on our conversation during the study visit, besides vibrant political environment in Timor Leste, which provides positive commitment for radical change inside parliament regarding women’s agenda, it is also effective strategic synergy has created between women in parliament and women movement outside parliament that has been able to push parliament to ratify some international covenants and create national regulation as manifestation of commitment on protection for human women rights. With the intervention from UN and International agencies working human rights and self determination, Fokupers, an East Timorese Women’s NGOs forum, which was formed in 1997 to monitor violation of human women rights, has become active agent to build harmonious communication between women movement and women in parliaments.
Can women in parliament be united? It is a utopian idea for Indonesia, which has thousand parliament members from multi political parties. Event during consultation workshop with women parliament couple months ago, women parliament seemed not able to go beyond the political party’s interest, eventhough they were bound with common ground as a woman. However such an impossible synergy among women parliament have been successfully created in Timor Leste. They are united under a goal and objective to improve women’s rights situation and women’s well-being.
Currently, Fokupers and other NGOs are approaching churches to negotiate issue of safe abortion for unwanted pregnancy caused by rape to be regulated under Health Law. Alita, director of Alola Foundation confirmed me that this struggle could not be so easy because church is now promoting new program responding unwanted pregnancy, instead of supporting safe abortion. Church does reject abortion and provide new program to accommodate rejected babies and provides shelter to babies till somebody come to adopt. Learning from the previous success that has been made by women movement, synergy has to be expanded to church and academic people to convince parliament to support safe abortion.
Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah, Country Representative Aman Indonesia
Sumber: http://amanindonesia.org/discourse/2011/11/02/amplifying-the-voice-of-women-in-politics:-learning-from-women-parliament-of-timor-leste-.html
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