The Role Of Women Is Important In Maintaining The Neutrality Of The 2024 Election

Illustration - Women have an important role in maintaining the neutrality of the 2024 General Election. (House of Elections)

JAKARTA Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world. However, many people think that the values of democracy in Indonesia have faded in the past few years, especially ahead of the 2024 General Election.

The claim that democracy in the country is not doing well emerged after the Constitutional Court (MK) decided that someone under the age of 40 could run for a presidential or vice presidential candidate as long as they had or were serving as regional heads elected by election.

Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world, but in the last few years and today it has been faced with a situation that our democracy is being tested for its resilience. "Our democratic resilience is being tested," said female activist Jalaswari Pramodawardhani, in a public dialogue event entitled Women Move to Strengthen Democracy: Netrality as a necessity at the Arya Duta Hotel, Jakarta, Friday, November 10, 2023.

"Whether later in the 2024 election we will be able to pass this test or we will return to the dark times where democracy is so easy to use by the rulers to perpetuate, abuse power to make democracy only a vehicle for power," added the woman who also serves as Deputy V for Politics, Law, Security and Human Rights Defense at the Presidential Staff Office of the Republic of Indonesia.

Democracy is a word that has been echoed by the Indonesian people since the reform era or coincided with the collapse of the New Order in 1998. As is known, the 1998 incident could not be eliminated from Indonesian history.

At that time, there was a massive demonstration to overthrow President Suharto, who had been in power for 32 years. Among the thousands of students who demonstrated, women activists also voiced their opinions, one of which was Dr. (HC) Dra Hj. Sinta Nuriyah, M. Hum, wife of former President Abdurrahman Wahid.

It was told that the chairman of the National Alliance of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Nia Syarifuddin, Sinta Nuriyah, was one of those who persistently voiced reforms, released from the New Order which was considered thick with nepotism.

However, after more than two decades since the 1998 incident, Indonesia has again been haunted by the shadow of nepotism and dynastic politics ahead of the 2024 General Election.

The election is a normal thing every five years, choosing a leader is normal. We are usually different. But what we hope in this process is that the implementation of the election really has to be done well, with a jurdil system and what is certain is that there must be neutrality that we agree on together," said Nia.

"On the one hand, I want to say that maybe people, especially young people, sometimes forget, as if women are not in the context of important things in this nation, I think it needs to be improved because I myself will say that reforms start from the initiator of the Voice of Mother Cares (SIP)," Nia added.

Nia regrets that in today's era, the role of women in democracy is often ignored. In fact, according to her, during the reform movement in 1998, the women's movement took part in overthrowing the New Order era.

The woman who is a member of SIP standing in the Bunderan Hotel Indonesia distributed flowers to ABRI soldiers on guard. The action on February 23, 1998 was a protest against the high price of basic necessities, especially milk.

SIP protested against the government, which did not pay attention to the small people. SIP also urged the government to turn the economic crisis into a major concern.

"When students dominate the reform movement, don't forget that it starts with a women's movement," Nia said.

Talking about democracy, we cannot forget how in 1998 women became the first motorbike, as an effort to encourage Indonesian democracy. After that, we see how women's strength is to encourage efforts to reform politics and legal reforms.

As mentioned earlier, ahead of the 2024 General Election, the political dynamics of the country has become an interesting thing to follow. President Joko Widodo even said that the closer the presidential election, Indonesian politics was increasingly colored by Korean dramas.

Sinta Nuriyah, wife of the Fourth President of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid, did not deny the existence of these dramas. He highlighted how the position and power are still the crowns that must be contested.

In a situation like this, Sinta said the role of women is very much needed. According to her, women have thousands of strengths to change the future.

"Currently Indonesia still feels a little hot, not because the rain is still rare, not because of forest fires, but because there are still frictions and dramas being played," said Sinta.

Furthermore, this woman who was born in 1948 said that women are the pillar of the state. She quoted a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad as saying, "If the woman is good, then the country is good. If the woman is dilapidated, then the country will also be dilapidated".

"If we withdraw it in a political context, this hadith reflects the strategic role and position of women in contextual democracy," Sinta said.

Hal ini dapat dimaknai perempuan adalah pekut demokrasi. Maju mundurnya pekuk demokrasi sebuah bangsa tergantung pada perempuan, Sinta menambahkan.

He also explained several reasons why the hadith can be interpreted in the context of democracy. First, in general, in democracy is family, meaning that the family is the first wise point in building a democratic attitude.

Here, he said the role of women is important in building a democratic stance on various differences in political choices.

Second, quantitatively women are the largest number in the election. Women will automatically be the determinants in electoral democracy. This is why women are targeted by candidates because they play a major role in political contestation.

"Because of its position as the pillar of democracy, women need to maintain their neutrality in political contestation. Because if the pole is tilted or tilted, then democracy is tilted and deadlocked," he explained.

The neutrality here does not mean that women must not choose choice, support, have a choice, but instead become protectors of each person's choice as well as become officers of different choices. This is the meaning of women's neutrality in democracy, "said Sinta ending.