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Democrat Accused of Belittling Women
Nurfika Osman | October 17, 2009

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Women activists on Friday criticized Democratic Party’s deputy chairman Achmad Mubarok for suggesting that women were not ready to take up strategic ministries in the next cabinet, saying such statement showed that politicians were willing to employ stereotyping to tighten their grip on power.

“People who say that [women are not ready] are those who seek to protect their own positions by typecasting women, turning a blind eye to the fact that we have women in this country who are well qualified to lead strategic ministries,” said Sri Wiyanti Eddyono, a commissioner from the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan). She pointed to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu and Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari as women who have successfully led strategic ministries.

“Do male ministers perform better than female? How many female corruptors are there in the country compared to male corruptors?” asked Eddyono, taking a swipe at male lawmakers and senior state officials tried and sentenced to jail for corruption.

Mubarok of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party was reported to have said on Thursday that women were not ready for a bigger role in the government.

His statement came as the president-elect was busy finding suitable candidates to join his next cabinet scheduled to be sworn in on Oct. 21.

Eddyono called on Yudhoyono to give equal opportunity to women to head strategic ministries, saying that the country ratified the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women back in 1984.

“Women have equal rights with men in politics,” she said. “The country does not have any right to hold us back.”