Ideological Contestation and Gender Policy Reforms in Post-Reformasi Indonesia

Abstract

The shifting ideological centre of gravity from what has been termed “democratic cosmopolitanism” to “religious nationalism” in Indonesia and its impacts on diverse areas of policymaking has been a subject of scholarly debate. This article investigates how these ideological developments affect gender policy reforms in post-Reformasi Indonesia. To do so, it develops a framework to examine ideological contestation by centring the role of Pancasila and gender politics in its analysis. By employing this framework, the article examines three attempts at gender policy reform: the 2008 Pornography Law, and two most recent bills on the elimination of sexual violence (RUU Penghapusan Kekerasan Seksual) and family resilience (RUU Ketahanan Keluarga). It is argued that the battle over the interpretation of Pancasila has ideologically shaped gender policy reforms through which political actors contest their ideal gender order and relations. This article concludes by reflecting on broader issues around gender, democracy, and ideology in post-Reformasi Indonesia.

Key words:

• gender policy reforms
• ideological contestation
• Indonesia
• Pancasila
• post-Reformasi.

Acknowledgments

The author is very grateful for the constructive and insightful comments on earlier drafts of this article from anonymous referees and the journal’s editor. The author thanks Nicole George and Annie Pohlman for their invaluable insights for the initial draft of this article. Errors and shortcomings are entirely my own.

Notes

1 Pancasila has five principles: (i) belief in one God; (ii) just and civilised humanity; (iii the unity of Indonesia; (iv) democracy guided by the wisdom of deliberations among representatives; (v) social justice for all of the people of Indonesia.

2 Interviews were conducted between March to May 2021 with 11 respondents, including nine Indonesian women legislators and two women’s rights activists. The interviews were conducted online from Brisbane, Australia due to the travel restrictions associated with COVID-19.

3 These include TAP MPR RI V/MPR/2000 on Consolidating National Union and Unity, TAP MPR RI VI/MPR/2001 on the Ethics of National Life, and TAP MPR RI VII/MPR/2001 on Indonesia’s Future Vision among others.

4 Sinta Nuriyah Wahid was also married to former President Wahid.

5 Commission VIII has the scope of duties surrounding issues of religion, social, disaster management, and women’s empowerment and child protection.

6 The petition can be accessed at: https://www.change.org/p/dpr-ri-komisi-8-tolak-ruu-pro-zina.

7 For an analysis that compares RUU P-KS and RUU TPKS, see Hidayahtulloh and colleagues (2022).

8 Division of Control and Evaluation has a function to carry out control, monitoring, and evaluation in the implementation of policies for fostering the Pancasila ideology.

Additional information

Funding

This research for this article was undertaken while the author held an Australia Awards Scholarship.