Indonesian IWD marchers demand working women's rights
By May Sari
JAKARTA — Three hundred women and men marched from the Kapuk industrial area to Indonesia's parliament building on International Women's Day, March 8. IWD was not celebrated in Indonesia before 1999.
The organisations of militant workers and students — the National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) and the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) — were prominent in the march. FNPBI affiliates organised IWD actions at factories and local parliaments in other parts of Indonesia also.
The FNPBI and LMND realise that women's political and social problems cannot be separated from the problems of Indonesian society in general and both organisations are fighting for women's liberation as part of the fight against the oppression of all workers and others. They want IWD to become a tradition in Indonesia and a symbol of the struggles of all oppressed people.
The marchers' demands included: end all discrimination against women, especially women workers; a 100% increase in workers' wages; an end to the government's cuts to price subsidies on fuel, electricity and education; and an end to military intervention in labour disputes.
Romawaty Sinaga, FNPBI's head of international relations, told the marchers when they arrived at parliament that Indonesia's women and poor people voted for vice-president Megawati Sukarnoputri not only because she was a woman, but also because she promised to do her best for poor people.
"What has she done? Nothing!", Sinaga said. "That's why we should not narrow our demands to supporting her. Together with Gus Dur [President Abdurrahman Wahid], Megawati continues to allow her sisters to be oppressed. Indonesia's women workers — together with students, the urban poor and others — are oppressed because of the government's economic policies that allow maximum exploitation. Women, workers and students should unite and flex our muscles."
Sinaga pointed out that the government recently raised senior politicians' pay by almost 80% while workers' pay barely covers 50% of their minimum daily needs. Megawati's pay jumped more than 100%. Perhaps Megawati, "the symbol of women's emancipation", could have argued that this money should instead be used to improve the lives of women workers, Sinaga said.
The marchers entered the parliament to present their demands to MPs. The protesters were disappointed with the MPs' responses in the discussions that followed, saying that many simply echoed the views of the government, the military and big business. Some of the MPs' ignorant answers were met with laughter from the marchers.
Meanwhile, other workers' protests were taking place outside the parliament. Workers from PT Kong Tai Indonesia were demanding the payment of outstanding entitlements following the closure of their factory. Workers from PT Texmaco were protesting against the sacking of 37 of their comrades.
Another 1500 workers from the water supply utility, PT Pam Jaya, were there to oppose the utility's privatisation, which will result in many sackings and higher clean water costs. The government has been selling state enterprises to meet International Monetary Fund loan conditions.
A protest organised by Indonesian Women's Solidarity at the embassy of the United Arab Emirates demanded that the Indonesian government bring home Kartini, an Indonesian woman worker who has been jailed pending her execution for becoming pregnant while unmarried. "Bring Kartini home!" was also a main demand of the FNPBI-organised IWD protests around the country.