Businesswomen call for new forum

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two of Indonesia's top businesswomen on Wednesday called for the establishment of a miniature International Women's Leadership Conference in Indonesia as a forum for women to share valuable experiences.

Martha Tilaar, owner of one of the country's biggest cosmetics companies, said Indonesia needs a forum to eliminate the negative thinking many women in Indonesia still have.

"Many women here still see things from a negative point of view. This is not just hampering their development, but the whole country," she said at a breaking-of-the-fast gathering Wednesday.

"For example, if they're climbing a mountain, how can they reach the top if they only think about falling down?" Martha said.

"With this kind of forum, experienced women can share their skills and help those who have yet to become successful.... They could learn to survive better and compete with men," she said.

Martha Tilaar was one of the keynote speakers at last month's 4th Annual International Women's Leadership Conference, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference presented 12 speakers from different countries and various professions, including former executive director of Disney, Barbara Stoker, the first African-American astronaut, Mae Jemison, and Stephanie Castillo, a journalist and Emmy award-winning independent filmmaker.

Martha Tilaar was invited by Hawaii's governor, Linda Lingle, because she successfully built her 37-year-old herbal cosmetics empire "from nothing".

She said during her speech at the conference that the position of women in Indonesia had not yet developed to its optimum, though women were gradually working toward an equal standing to men in society.

Out of 220 million Indonesians, more than 112 million are women. In the political world, Indonesia has only four female ministers and one female governor.

Dewi Motik, another leading Indonesian business figure and activist, said Indonesia would gain much from holding a similar national conference.

"The conference can set an example in our country, so that our officials really make efforts to develop the country's human resources," she said.

"Inviting people from around the world to share experiences is definitely a good thing, especially for Indonesian women, because we can make their experience our motivation to achieve something," Dewi said.