Breakthrough ! Petra Odebrecht runs for a seat In Parlaiment in Bali on April 9th. 2009
Nurfika Osman
German-Born Woman Makes History With Election Run
A German-born woman said she believes she will be the first Westerner ever to run for election in Indonesia when she competes for a seat on the Bali Legislative Council on April 9.
Forty-two-year-old Petra Odebrecht, who was born in Hamburg, Germany, said on Thursday she decided to run because she felt she could do much to improve the situation in Indonesia.
Odebrecht said she had found many Indonesians were ignored by their own leaders and politicians who were supposed to represent them.
“I know it is going to be a hard job for me because Indonesia is still learning about democracy,” she said.
“But I feel this is my country so that I have to do something to improve the situation.”
Odebrecht said she had become friends with a member of the Democratic Renewal Party, or PDP, and she ended up becoming a member.
“I chose PDP because it is run by a council of members rather than one leader,” she said.
Another attraction was that the party was ethnically and religiously diverse.
Odebrecht came to Indonesia in 1989 and lived for four years in Bandung, West Java Province, where she married an Indonesian. She was granted Indonesian citizenship in 1992.
The marriage was later dissolved and the couple did not have children together.
“I know that I am the first bule [white person] to go into politics in this country and sometimes people look down on me because they still see me as a foreigner,” she said. “But I will not give up easily.”
Odebrecht said she wanted to help improve conditions for Indonesian women, particularly in Bali where she lives.
“I feel the country does not really respect women as it is still run with strong patriarchal values and a non-dynamic culture,” she said. “Many women are forced to stay at home and do not obtain enough knowledge.”
She said 42 percent of PDP members are women. Of the PDP’s eight candidates running for the Bali legislature, four are women.
Odebrecht said she had become concerned by the poor level of democracy she had encountered while campaigning, with many people asking for money to vote for her.
“This is an example that demonstrates there is much work to do here.”
She wants to help Bali develop into an eco-friendly tourist destination. “Bali is getting dirtier now and I am afraid that this island will lose its beauty.”
She previously worked at a travel agency for 10 years and now works as a yoga instructor.
She said that if she did not win a seat on April 9, she would continue to work with the party to build democracy and to improve conditions.
