East Java 2024 Pilkada Makes History, Evidence Of Women's Leadership Is No Longer A Taboo Thing

Three candidates will contest the East Java gubernatorial election, from the left: Tri Rismaharini, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and Luluk Nur Hamidah. (ANTARA/Illustrator Febrian Alfandi)

JAKARTA The 2024 East Java Regional Head Election (Pilkada) recorded history by becoming the first area for all female governor candidates. Political observer Dedi Kurnia Syah said the regional elections were increasingly implementing women's emancipation.

Three female figures, namely Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Tri Rismaharini, and Luluk Nur Hamidah, have registered with the East Java General Election Commission (KPU). They were declared ready to fight in the 2024 East Java Pilkada.

Khofifah is the incumbent, aka the governor of the previous period, who will run again with his deputy, Emil Dardak. This pair was promoted by a grand coalition filled with 15 political parties, namely PAN, Gerindra, Golkar, Democrats, PPP, PSI, PKS, Perindo, NasDem, Labor Party, Gelora, PBB, PKN, Garuda, and Prima.

Risma, who is currently still Minister of Social Affairs, was accompanied by Zahrul Azhar Asumta or better known as Gus Hans. This couple is promoted by PDIP who can nominate their own cakada in East Java.

Finally, there is the Chairman of the PKB DPP Luluk Nur Hamidah who ran with the cadres in his party, Lukmanul Khakim. They are both members of the DPR RI from the PKB faction. Like Risma, these Luluk-Khakim are also only promoted by PKB who meet the requirements to apply for cagub-cawagub without forming a coalition with other political parties.

The electoral expert, Titi Anggraini, said that the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) to loosen the threshold for pilkada candidacy has opened up space for political parties to carry their best cadres.

"The East Java regional head made history, the first time there was a regional election was followed by 3 female cagubs at once. Bravo!" Titi said on her X account.

"When the obstacles to competing can be broken down, it turns out that the regional elections can be more friendly to political women.

Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. According to data from the Ministry of Religion, as many as 229.62 million people or about 87 percent of the total population. As a country with a majority Muslim population, plus a patriarchal culture that is still thick, women's leadership is often clashed with religious norms. Women are still considered to lack the leading capacity compared to men.

However, now the emergence of these three heroines in the 2024 East Java Pilkada has received appreciation from many parties. The presence of Khofifah, Risma, and Luluk is a reflection that women's leadership is no longer taboo, but is important for the regional political cult.

Political observer from Airlangga University (Unair) Airlangga Pribadi Kusman said the contestation of female leaders in East Java shows that this issue is no longer taboo, but is important from the regional political culture.

This women's leadership is not only taboo anymore but has also become an important part of East Java's political culture. One side of dimension has a high religious but slowly succeeds in fighting the patriarchal political leadership," Airlangga said, citing NU Online.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO) Dedi Kurnia Syah said that the 2024 Pilkada is increasingly implementing women's emancipation.

In the 2024 election, the KPU recorded 37.7 percent of female legislators. Women's political participation is important in ensuring the presence of policies that support, empower, and facilitate women's needs in various fields of development.

"Because women's character is not limited to our constitution. The state only regulates the age limit and limits of political support, while for gender there are no rules. Of course that is proof of gender emancipation," said Dedi to VOI.

Dedi assessed that women's leadership is purely a political and democratic process in Indonesia. "They are not only to deal with the crisis of women leaders, but are needed because of their pure leadership capacity," he said.

Women and politics have become a crowded issue discussed in recent years. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the name Khofifah Indar Parawansa, together with Yenny Wahid, was said to be enlivening the presidential election contestation.

Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Andy Yentriyani said that the presence of women in the world of politics is a positive signal for gender equality that has been fought for so far. This is very good. The reason is, when women are nominated in general, then it is a form of appreciation for women. This shows that women's leadership is good. Those who are nominated have the capacity to lead in Indonesia," Andy said during a conversation with VOI.

Even so, Yenny realized that this did not necessarily change the views of the general public, whether it was permissible for women to become leaders. He knows very well how patriarchal society is still an obstacle in the struggle for women to receive equal treatment.

"In general, it is important for candidates to give a message not to look at gender anymore, but to weigh more about capacity, about ability," he said.

Another challenge in patriarchy society is masculine political contestation. Due to the big challenges, people often dwarf women. It is a shared responsibility to straighten it out, re-examine the stigma," Andy said.

Meanwhile, Surokim Abdussalam, a political observer at Trunojoyo University, said that women's leadership in East Java is no longer a problem.

"Alhamdulillah, in East Java there seems to be no problem with women's leadership. I think there is no problem. Because people can already distinguish between religious and political leadership," said Surokim.

"In the past, women still didn't deserve to be leaders. Now these issues have not been sold. The presence of the heroine is in order to equalize the leadership of women in politics, which so far has not been massive and is still masculine," he said.

Furthermore, Surokim saw that the emergence of female challengers could not be separated from the footsteps of Khofifah who won the regional elections and led East Java.

"The presence of Mrs. Khofifah raises and opens the door of other female politicians. Plus the increasing trend of feminism leadership which is seen as more nurturing and empathetic," he said.