IN USG-SPONSORED EVENT, WOMEN POLITICIANS SHARE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001308 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP NSC FOR J. BADER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KWMN ID SUBJECT: IN USG-SPONSORED EVENT, WOMEN POLITICIANS SHARE STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS REF: JAKARTA 1305 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In a USG-funded workshop held August 6-8 in Jakarta, a multi-partisan group of Indonesian women politicians shared their successful campaign stories to encourage colleagues to further political action. The politicians--who assume their legislative seats in October--explained how they used technology and creative outreach and tapped into family links to woo voters. Women remain underrepresented in Indonesia's political institutions. That said, there are signs of steady improvement: over 15 percent of the new Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) will consist of women legislators, for example, up from 11 percent in 2004. END SUMMARY. ENCOURAGING WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ¶2. (U) A USG-funded workshop run by the National Democratic Institute brought together one hundred women who had contested the regional and national legislative elections to share best practices, August 6-8. The workshop included women who had been elected in the April legislative elections and those who had not. The agenda focused on lessons learned and sharpening political skills to prepare for future elections. SUCCESS STORIES ¶3. (U) The event was multi-partisan (Indonesia has over 35 political parties). Three women who had successfully run for office in 2009 shared their stories and strategies for success. One, a Christian Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) member, said women must use the avenues open to them and rely on family and personal networks, such as wives' clubs. She urged her defeated colleagues not to give up, noting that she had run in 2004 and lost. ¶4. (U) Her colleague, a jilbab (headscarf)-bedecked Islamic-oriented Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) member, shared a video she used to sway voters featuring her work at charity events. To avoid the trap of voters' expectations that candidates "are like ATM machines," she taught voters instead how to lobby relevant political institutions to meet community needs. A third speaker attributed her success to focusing on key areas she identified via outreach to religious groups as well as citizens at large. ¶5. (U) The rest of the program focused on in-depth discussion of political skills and lessons learned from both losing and winning candidates. In small groups, the women discussed the obstacles they had faced during the campaign and brainstormed solutions for the next one. Campaign finance and money politics were the biggest issues facing the candidates. Many candidates expressed their gratitude to NDI for continuing to train and believe in them. SOME PROGRESS IN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION ¶6. (U) While there has been measurable progress, women are still under-represented in political and public institutions in Indonesia, according to the Asia Foundation. Only four of 34 cabinet members are women and only one of 33 governors is a woman. Moreover, a third of local parliaments lack even a single woman legislator. ¶7. (U) The future for women's political participation in Indonesia is brightening, however. The numbers of women legislators entering the 2009 DPR jumped from 11 percent to between 15-18 percent (pending final seat allocation). Women are also increasingly active in civil society and commercial affairs. Women activists brought affirmative action to the forefront of the nation's consciousness during the 2009 campaign. They appeared to gain ground with a new election law which stipulated that political parties include one women in every three candidates on their list in order to boost the number of women in the DPR to 30 percent (see reftels). An International Republican Institute survey showed that 75 percent of respondents were in favor of this plan. A later court decision overturned this affirmative action clause. The issue of encouraging women's political participation remains very much on the table in Indonesia, however. ¶8. (U) As reported earlier, USAID-supported programs such as this "Win with Women" workshop have been an important element in encouraging women's political participation in Indonesia. Mission plans to continue supporting such programming, which is widely welcomed by Indonesian women. JAKARTA 00001308 002 OF 002 HUME