Andi Timo Pangerang shares her struggle as a female leader in a male-dominated landscape and her quest to get more women involved in politics.
Chapter: Attracting female talent
About: Before entering local politics in her hometown of Southern Sulawesi, Andi Timo Pangerang spent 14 years in the private sector working as a banker. She later served as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from 2009 until 2014. Since then, Andi has been an active member of the Democratic Party as deputy secretary general, continuing her work in nation-building.
What was your motivation to enter politics, considering that this is a very male-dominated industry?
I had two main aspirations for entering politics. First, I wanted to see a fairer representation of women. Second, I believe that some women-specific issues can only be fully understood through the lived experiences of a woman. What better way to achieve such aspirations than by running myself and making my own differences?
“Some women-specific issues and aspirations have nuances that can only be captured by another woman. Having female politicians is the perfect way for our issues to be represented directly.”
I am also benefitting from the growing awareness among women in the country about the need to be politically represented during elections. Men play a part too, as more and more men are becoming less gender-conscious and voting for candidates based on their merits. Seeing these changes makes the fight worthwhile.
What challenges have you encountered as a female politician?
When I first started, it was less of a cultural norm for women to be involved in politics. It was not uncommon for me to be spoken over or brushed off by the people I interacted with during the campaign. In the early days, I had to overcome a lot of cultural challenges and stereotypes. It wasn’t easy, but these challenges are what motivated me to run in the first place. Eventually, I got elected to the local legislature after two years of campaigning.
“It took patience, persistence, and creative thinking. I continued campaigning and kept my ears open to different voices of the electorate. It all boils down to persistence and doing what you think is right.”
What are the current conditions for gender representation in the Indonesian House of Representatives?
We have come a long way in gender representation in politics, although there is still much more that needs to be done. We have a strong legal basis for gender representation. Political parties are legally obliged to have 30 percent of their internal management positions held by women. Similarly, political parties are legally required to have women make up at least a third of their legislative candidates. Currently, women make up 21 percent of the House’s members. We are not at 30 percent yet, but it is an achievement nonetheless since we started with 5 percent in our first national election. These are encouraging trends. We aren’t where we want to be, but we are working hard to get there. I am sure our collective efforts will bring us closer to our goal of a more equal gender representation in politics.
Are there any initiatives to encourage more women candidates? What programs are available to develop and train women in politics?
Lately, there have been a lot of institutional supports to get women to be more involved in politics. When I was a legislator, I was elected to lead the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, and we worked to increase women’s participation in the House and beyond. This caucus also acts as a support system for elected women legislators and those aspiring to be legislators.
We are also seeing more political parties trying to attract more capable women candidates. As parties compete for qualified candidates and as demand outstrips supply, I’m sure each party will have its own initiative to attract, retain, and optimize female talent.
Beyond our political vehicles, we are engaging a variety of local and national NGOs that help with educating women and equipping them with the political knowledge they need to run for public office. I was a beneficiary of the work that these NGOs do; it would have been hard transitioning into politics as a banker without the seminars and educational programs that they conducted.
Why do you think it is important to have women participating in nation-building?
A legislator has three key functions: policy formulation, policy budgeting, and policy supervision. A woman legislator can make all the difference for everyone in the country. Having more women representation means that policies to protect women and children can really be brought to the forefront of our political discussions. Issues such as human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, and many others can be solved by women for women.
Beyond those pressing issues, imagine an Indonesia where every policy and regulation is formulated, budgeted, and monitored with equality in mind, both gender and non-gender. After all, women make up half of the population. If we aren’t present for ourselves, then who will be?
“Women need to be more involved in politics. Politics isn’t always bad. In fact, it determines the future of our nation. With that understanding, women can really contribute to impactful outcomes.”
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