Professor of Literature, University of Indonesia The silence of Madame Minister of Women Role in the midst of the discussions on rape and sexual assault towards girls and women by numerous mass media sources and community leaders brought up a big question mark in everybody's mind. The mass rapes that happened during the looting of the past fourteenth and fifteenth of may actually have touched the heart of every human being that cares about women, and I believe you are one of them.

In this letter I try to guess the reasons behind your silence and please immediately correct me if I am wrong. For I am afraid the answer to my question has to do with the bottom line problem that is faced by every single woman in this country.

My first guess is, Madame Minister is silence because you are not sure and probably you does not even believe that this tragedy could happen in a country that is based on Pancasila. You do not have evidence and the exact number of the victims. Perhaps you think that this is only some gossip that is overly exaggerated for a certain political interests. And you do not want to take a chance.

This is the truth that has to be faced by all women. The law in general does not work for our favor. Violence against women often happen in secluded areas without any witnesses. Often these violence are done by the very people who are given the legality to protect, or to have power over the victims, or in public areas that are so full of witnesses that it becomes impossible to nail down the rapists. Unfortunately, witnesses and evidences are the two key words to gain justice through the law.

In addition, rape victims and sexual assault victims are very ashamed, they have lost their pride and their spirit to struggle for justice. They in general choose to keep silence, hide, or die. Those who dare to tell the truth are those who dare to take a very big risk to be humiliated the second time in front of the investigators, courts, or mass media.

It is very tragic, that in many assaults cases against women, such as those occurred in families, the victims-to-be often had tried to call for help. But with the argument of there is not enough evidence, their voices were bounced back by the cold walls.

Given these conditions, the number of evidence in statistics are often can only be counted by the women's decayed morgue. So I ask you, Madame, how many women's morgue do you need in order for this case to be sufficiently considered overly exaggerated?

My second guess is, Madame Minister remains silence because this tragedy happened to a minority group which position in society happen to be doubted as the "Original Indonesian" in a primordial or in patriotism sense.

Without arguing about the original and the patriotic, one matter that is very clear is that our citizen does not understand the meaning of a lawful and democratic country. This happens because the political education has been misused and misinterpreted for such a long time. For decades, we as citizen witness how the law is being used as a means to gain power and we watch how our freedom of and our right for speech have been denied.

As a result, we do not know and we do not understand that in a country based on law and democracy, even our most hatred enemy in the face of the earth, has to be respected for his/ her civil rights and we need to fight for his/ her rights to be protected by the law.

But I sincerely hope that my second guess is wrong. Because I have seen for myself, how women's groups, through numerous solidarity movement and a strong coalition involvement in this reformation, have fight to break down the sectarian and primordial barriers.

When the people were involved in division among groups during the monetary crisis situation, the women organized community praying across different religions. In court cases of Karlina and Romo Sandyawan, many Christian sisters and Moslem veiled women were holding hands, giving out flowers, and singing. They did not care about the differences, even to the men who are symphatetic with their movement.

My third guess is, Madam Minister remains silence because the position of Minister of Women's Role in the government is merely a symbolical accessories to cover up for the poor condition of women in this country. The question is, why does the special department for women's role have to exist? There are at least four possible answers.

First, is because the Indonesian highly valued respected and admired women. Second, or on the other hand the women's position is so poor that it needs a special handling. Third, is the combination of the two, which is to show how great is the women emancipation in this country that a woman can become a minister? So that she can make up and cover up the poor condition that happened to Marsinah (a maid who was raped by her master) and her friends. Fourth, is the women's role is considered important, and 'strategic', so that it can be fully manipulated for numerous social, political, and economical interests, including the contribution for the country's income as free labors and the supporters for the careers of the governmental position such as Dharma Wanita Organization.

Perhaps there is a different agenda on your archive that I fail to analyze. But if my guesses are right, I urge you, as a minister in the cabinet that vows to conduct reformation, to immediately dismantle Dharma Wanita and eradicate the department that you lead with all its divisions because the very existence of these two institutions are the hindrance for the realization of women emancipation.

Nobody can refuse to be born as a woman, as a human with a particular blood type, skin color, nor particular face. Nor be born in particular ethical group, place, and particular era. If we look back in history, the ethnic Chinese position has been wounded throughout the history. This wound has to be recovered by all of us. Do not let the women, a twelve years old innocent girl pay for it. (***)