Women in RI diplomacy (by M. Hadianto B. Wirajuda )

One of the milestones of Indonesia’s diplomacy last year was the success of the ASEAN Charter within which the principles of human rights and democracy, as well as public participation, were ensured.  However, the inclusion of human rights promotion in the Charter was not an easy process, knowing the diversity of political systems that ASEAN member countries have, Indonesia recognized this.

One approach that Indonesian diplomats had in relation to this was to induce basic rights that were seen as less sensitive to be brought to the negotiation table, which were the rights of women and children. However to what extent can the role of women be called significant at the foreign ministry?

Certainly, in asserting the ideas of the rights of women, as Indonesia did in the pre-Charter process, Indonesian diplomats took a careful look at what have been achieved at home. A small measure of this can be achieved through an examination of the foreign ministry itself, as the laboratory, as well as the spearhead of foreign policy and diplomacy.

The role of women in Indonesian history has been remarkable. We have had Ibu Kartini and Cut Nyak Dien who were very influential during the struggle for Indonesia’s independence. In the contemporary period, we have had the first female president in history – even a mature a democracy as America have never had one, although Hillary Clinton came close – Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri.

At the forefront of Indonesian diplomacy today, we have, at least, three senior officials who are influential in their positions. Each of them has been successful in performing their given mandates.  The significance of women in Indonesian diplomacy has also been felt abroad, as there are more female ambassadors or deputy ambassadors and heads of mission at various important locations, such as Switzerland, Sweden, Brussels and New York.

At the time of their recruitment, there were only about 10 percent of women who had been accepted to serve the country as diplomats. This number was quite insignificant compared to other ASEAN countries. The Philippines, for instance, whose report was made public by the UNESCAP, women subscribed to about 41.6 percent of the total diplomatic posts in 1995 with, inter alia, 37 heads of mission at ambassadorial rank.

In Indonesia, the common reasons heard to explain this were either the nomadic nature of diplomats, which was seen as more challenging to women than men, or personal reasons such as marriage.  The increase in the percentage did not follow the immediate opening of Indonesia’s political system after the fall Soeharto in 1998. A significant amount was reached only in 2004 to coincide with a consolidated democratic period.

As a result of internal regulations that allowed women diplomats to pursue their careers although they were spouses of male diplomats, the percentage has gradually increased. In 2006, for example, around 47-48 percent of new diplomats were women. Since then, the number has continued to increase, reaching about 52 percent today. Certainly,

it is not a bad number for a young democracy.

Indeed, one can say that this is an answer for what is called change. However, measuring change simply from the quantity would not be enough; we need to take quality into account.  Unfortunately, the quantity was incomparable with the number of women who sit at the decision-making level. Looking at Indonesia’s history of foreign ministers, we have had 14 ministers; however no account can be taken for a woman minister since the day of the nation’s birth.

At the lower level, today the public can only witness three out of 13 senior posts at the foreign ministry filled by women. With no intention of discrediting their importance, this number is worth increasing as the number of women diplomats is gradually increasing each year. Who would have guessed, that sometime in the future, Indonesia’s leading foreign policy actor could be a woman.

In short, we have seen the success of Indonesian women in the struggle for independence in Indonesian history, but the public are yet to be satisfied with the significance of the role of women in Indonesia’s contemporary diplomacy. There is a need for qualified women to be given more opportunities for roles as decision-makers.

Put in an ASEAN context, one solution can be to assign a qualified female ambassador to ASEAN countries, by doing so, Indonesia’s idea to assert human rights through promotion of the rights of women in Southeast Asia would not be seen as simple rhetoric.  As Ibu Retno Marsudi, one of today’s finest female senior diplomats once wrote “diplomacy itself has no requirements that could not be fulfilled by women.”  Any barriers to getting the job done originate mostly from sources beyond the control of women themselves.”