The idea of political party financing remains a matter of debate in Indonesia. While this policy is believed to be effective in reducing election costs and increasing women’s political representation, it still poses two serious problems in Indonesia. First, it relates to weak compliance and accountability regarding the use and accountability of state financial assistance by political parties.
Second, regarding the absence of a gender justice and equality dimension in the current funding policy framework. The obligation for political parties to prioritize budget allocation for education and political empowerment, as stipulated in Government Regulation Number 1 of 2018 concerning Political Party Financial Assistance, does not yet include affirmative action policies for female politicians in its regulation and implementation. This absence of affirmative action in political party financial assistance policies contributes to the perpetuation of inequality in the political competition between male and female politicians (Hurriyah 2017).
What is the urgency of promoting affirmative action policies in political party financing in Indonesia? How will they impact improving the quality of women’s political representation? What kind of affirmative action financing scheme is feasible for implementation in the Indonesian context, and what are the opportunities for implementing these policies? To address these issues, since 2019, Puskapol UI, with support from Kemitraan, has been conducting a study to examine the practices and opportunities for affirmative action financing for female politicians.
