Siltation of Women\'s Political Movement

SUPRIYANTO

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Memes about housewives\' strange and funny behavior, entitled "These Housewives Are Kocak (Funny)", "The Housewives’ Way" and "Housewives of the Present Era" have always gone viral and been the source of jokes among netizens. Then, there appeared the title "The Power of Emak-emak [Housewives]" as a nickname for housewives who act uniquely, display funny behavior and even break rules.

There are also pictures of the housewives riding a motorbike with three people, traveling through the highway, riding a motorbike during flooding and many more. In short, The Power of Emak-emak describes the stories of housewives who act arbitrarily on the streets with their motorbikes. The memes and videos of The Power of Emak-emak also went viral, resulting in the production of a 2017 TV soap opera called The Power of Emak-emak.

The memes and videos about the housewives also illustrate how the police are powerless against housewives who commit various violations on the highway. "Don\'t ever argue with emak-emak. They won\'t admit it when they make mistakes even though they are wrong!” That is the message that the soap opera delivers. These funny, ridiculous and sometimes embarrassing stories inspired housewives in a number of regions. The most viral video was that of a mother in Kudus, Central Java, who argued with the police even though she had committed a violation. She eventually bit the police officer when she was about to get ticketed.

After a few months break, the soap opera The Power of Emak-emak appeared again on another TV channel. The current soap opera delivers messages on relations between a husband and wife in the household. Even when they are wrong, the housewives defend themselves with various reasons even though the reasons are very classic and absurd. Moreover, these housewives are able to deal with motorcycle gangs and demand equal rights to be allowed to be on nightwatch duty.

The scenes are indeed funny and entertaining, but really, this is a satire that overturns the social reality of gender inequality, which has shown women as weak people under the control of their husbands.

Politics of representation and politicization

The image of a militant woman, loyal without conditions, steadfast and brave has finally attracted the interest of political parties to use women of The Power of Emak-emak as "assets" to win the upcoming general election, as well as to shoot bullets at political opponents. Permak Bodi (Association of Housewives for Prabowo-Sandi) is one of the manifestations of this.

Different facts about The Power of Emak-emak appeared in the East Java regional election. Ten women gathered strength to win the election. Five regional heads, namely the mayor of Surabaya, mayor of Probolinggo, mayor of Batu City, regent of Kediriand regent of Jember, supported five women candidates for regional heads, namely candidates for the governor of East Java, candidates for the regent of Probolinggo, candidates for the Jombang regent, candidates for the mayor of Mojokerto, and others for the Bojonegoro regent.

This fact shows the magnitude of women\'s power and how they can be mobilized to win power for the candidates. It is at this level that we need to be critical in seeing the phenomenon of the power of emak-emak as a political movement or as a mere means of political victory.

Women\'s political movements have a clear vision, namely to increase women\'s political representation for changes in policies, programs, and budget allocations to realize gender equality and justice and social welfare for the entire community.

In the context of East Java regional election, when viewed from efforts to increase women\'s political representation and offer programs and policies beneficial to them, it is clear that this movement is to organize women\'s political power for gender equality and justice and welfare. But in the context of the presidential election, where The Power of Emak-emak is nothing more than a political instrument of victory, without knowledge and awareness about the programs and policies of the parties they support, can this be called the political movement of housewives or women? Actually, the use of women as vote gatherers for the victory is no more than a practice of siltation of the meaning of women\'s political movement.

The most significant siltation of the meaning of women\'s political movement lies in the replacement of the word "woman" with "emak". It is true, as stated by Sita Aripurnami, emak or housewives are two terms of respect usually used by a woman’s child or other parties . However, behind the words emak or "housewives" there is the meaning of certain marital status or social status. If the women\'s political movement is replaced by emak (or housewives) political movement, this movement will only become property and provide opportunities for women, with marital status or certain social status. Women with an unmarried status cannot be part of or get benefits from this movement.

From the chronology of the movement, the movement of Concerned Mothers\' Voice (SIP) is clearly very different from the Movement for Increasing Women\'s Political Representation (GPRPP) and is very much different when compared to The Power of Emak-emak. Judging from the actors or executors, SIP is not a movement initiated and carried out by mothers or housewives. This movement is purely a movement initiated and carried out by women activists. The use of the word "mother" at that time was merely a political strategy for the security of the executors of the movement so that the plan could run smoothly. At that time, the word "mother" was seen as equivalent to the word "woman" used by the New Order, which behind it means a certain status of women.

Judging from its ultimate goal, SIP as a movement inspired by the Plaza de Mayo event is a movement to overthrow militaristic and authoritarian rule. While the issue of "milk" was only an issue of choice, which was considered and calculated as an issue that would get a broad response. GPRPP is actually the second generation, after SIP, with a different context. If SIP moved in the context of dictatorial and militaristic politics, GPRPP is carried out in a political context that is democratic and responsive to gender inequality.

Political representation for gender welfare and justice

It is true that the improvement of women\'s political representation is aimed at encouraging changes in policies, programs and budget allocations that are more in favor of women, children and the wider community, especially those who are weak and poor. It is also true that the budget allocation for women\'s empowerment in the 2018 State Budget is only Rp 553.8 billion or 0.249 percent of the total 2018 state budget expenditure because the duties and functions of the Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry are policy formulation for gender equality, women\'s empowerment and child protection. Not a technical ministry.

In fact, the budget allocation for women\'s empowerment and child protection is not only found in the ministry. This is because the gender budget or officially called Gender Responsive Budgeting and Planning (PPRG) is in place, even though the legal framework is still very weak.

The budget allocation for women\'s empowerment and child protection in the 2018 state budget is also reflected in the budget allocation for the Family Hope Program, which targets 10 million families, the budget allocation for Health Insurance Contribution Beneficiaries (PBI-JKN) targeting 96 million people, which saw an increase in the health budget to reach 5 percent of the total state budget expenditure, education allocation reaching 20 percent, transfers to regions reaching 26 percent, and transfers to villages reaching almost 10 percent. In all items of the budget allocation there is a budget for women\'s empowerment and child protection.

All of this has been achieved through the cooperation of women lawmakers, who hold 18 percent of House of Representatives seats, and the nine women Cabinet members. It is understood that it is still very important to increase women\'s political representation to reach the minimum threshold of 30 percent of women in the House of Representatives, the executive branch and all decision-making institutions, so that we can eradicate poverty and inequality.

However, I am very concerned about the replication of the action of The Power of Emak-emak because behind these actions, such as the creation of memes and soap operas, paint negative images of women. Really, a very bad image of women and harmful to the women\'s movement.

Dian Kartikasari, Secretary-General of the Indonesian Women Coalition