REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KHARTOUM - Indonesia encourages Muslim countries to increase female member of parliaments (MPs) by 30 percent. Hence, affirmative action was imperative, member of Indonesian delegation for Human Rights and Women Commission in Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, said.

"We need regulation on women's participation in parliament," Assegaf said in Khartoum on Sunday as reported by Fitriyan Zamzami from Republika.

PUIC has not announced its official support yet, but Indonesia will proceed with the idea. Suppport comes from participant from Uganda, Rebecca Kadaga.

Ali Assegaf said most of Muslim countries in Africa already had the minimal quota of female MPs. The case is different is Middle East, including Tunisia, Maroko and Egypt.

However, she admitted that achieving the minimum quota was difficult in a number of countries, due to gender perspective among male MPs. Most of them consider that women role is limited to a small number of issues only, such as children health and education.

"They must hear women's voice on central issues, including in war and peace," she said. During war, women often become the backbone of the family including assuring the life of the men involved in the war. Unfortunately  women is sometimes forgotten during peace.

Indonesian claims a significant improvement in promoting woman's role in parliament. Indonesia was the only member sent woman repesentatives to PUIC when women committee was drafted in 2010. 

Women committee was finally formed during PUIC meeting in Palembang, Indonesia, last year. Now, about 26 Muslim countries send their women representatives to Khartoum conference.

‬

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika