Translator in Bali, rudyanto@deacons.com

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.

Claudia Sardi, The Jakarta Post, Seminyak

For Petra Odebrecht — who will be the first foreign-born Indonesian national to contest a legislative election in the country — the question is simple: Will Balinese voters be prepared to look beyond her Western features when they open their ballots in April next year.

Oderbrech, a former German national and a candidate of the Reform Democratic Party (PDP) who is touting herself as an “ex-foreigner”, became an Indonesian citizen in 1992 after marrying her Indonesian ex-husband and leaving her home country. She has been living in Indonesia since.

“It’s a time of big change in Indonesia, and by staying seated nothing will change, that’s why I decided to get politically active,” Oderbrech said.

The PDP was created in December 2005 when senior leaders of the nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) split off after a group led by Laksamana Sukardi lost a bitter fight to reform the party at its national congress.

The PDP, which operates under a leadership council rather than a single leader, is the 14th new party to register since the 2004 election.

“I joined the PDP because of its collective system, everyone there has an equal voice. Plus 42 percent of the members are women. In Bali, even with the official requirement of 30 percent quota for women, we have four women as legislative candidates and four men,” Oderbrech said.

Oderbrech has already experienced the darker side of Indonesian politics. While visiting a factory to gain local support, she was asked by workers what amount of money she would pay for them to vote for her.

“This showed me once more that I want to try to wake up especially young people to engage themselves in politics, because I believe that a nation rises and falls with its politics,” she said.

She was asked a year ago by Rusty Ambo Dalle, one of the PDP’s national leaders, to run for the party.

She said that at the time she had not had faith in the people’s desire for change and reform.

It was not until just three months ago that she compiled the necessary documents and officially nominated herself as a legislative candidate.

“The strong pluralistic direction of our party made me ask Oderbrech to join our party. As an Indonesian citizen with foreign roots she fits well into our party,” Ambo Dalle said.

“I’m well aware that my skin color and my origin are used as a marketing instrument, but I want to transform this energy into power to contribute to a democracy where everybody, regardless of his financial background, has access, too,” Odebrecht said.

The 41-year old, who has no former political background, sits in fifth place on the PDP’s eight-man cadre list to contest the Bali Provincial Legislative Council.

“I don’t know about my chances for the legislative elections but if I don’t get directly elected I will try to work as a background assistant for one of my fellow party colleagues,” she said.

Her campaign will run from March 16 to April 5, 2009.

Petra Odebrecht, Caleg PDP eks Kebangsaan Jerman