A series of trainings for women legislative candidates was held in four cities in November and December, 2008. These trainings, organized by The Asia Foundation in partnership with its regional implementing partners, covered candidates from Jakarta, Aceh, East Java and South Sulawesi.
The first batch of the training was conducted between November 11 and 20, 2008. Each of the three day trainings was attended by 25 women candidates and addressed crucial issues the women need to know as they prepare for their campaign: how to target voters, how to develop an effective media strategy, and the finer details of the electoral system.
The reason for this program is clear: women in Indonesia remain grossly under-represented. Indeed, there are less women representatives today than 20 years ago. Currently, women representatives only constitute 11.8 percent of national parliament members. There are even fewer women in the provincial and district legislatures where political power is now concentrated in Indonesia.
In anticipation of the upcoming 2009 elections, the Royal Norwegian Embassy is supporting The Asia Foundation with a wide-ranging program that includes support for electoral law reform, building the capacity of women candidates, supporting women in politics to build their constituency networks, and helping women candidates develop sharp and focused media and voter education campaigns. These activities have been supported by public awareness-raising and voter education campaigns focusing on the importance of women’s involvement in the democratic process in Indonesia.
