Maria Farida Indrati
| Maria Farida Indrati | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait | |
| Justice of the Indonesian Constitutional Court | |
|
In office 2008–2009 | |
| Appointed by | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 14, 1949 Surakarta, Indonesia |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Religion | Catholic[1] |
Maria Farida Indrati, S.H., M.H. (referred to as Farida;[2] born 14 June 1949) is a justice at the Constitutional Court of Indonesia.
Biography
Farida was born in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia on 14 June 1949;[3] she is the eldest of eight children born to an Antara reporter and his wife.[2] As a child, she studied under Catholic nuns.[2] Because she suffered from polio, she initially wanted to be a pianist.[2] However, due to her father's disapproval, she studied law at the University of Indonesia, receiving a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1975.[2][3] Studying under Hamid Attamimi, the "founder of the Indonesian Constitution Science", she decided to stay in law.[2]
Farida received her notary public's degree in 1982.[3] She later received a Master of Laws degree from the same institution in 1997, finishing her doctorate studies in 2002.[3] She has also taken non-formal courses on law making in Leiden, Vrije Universiteit, Boston, and San Francisco.[3]
Farida initially worked to draft legislation.[2]
She is currently serving as a justice of the Constitutional Court, after she was requested to do so by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2008;[3] she had previously been asked by eight different women's rights organisations, but had refused.[4] She is the nine-member court's first, as of 2010 only, female justice.[2][4] During the constitutional court's appraisal of the Bill against Pornography and Pornoaction, she headed the three member specialty panel.[2] Of the three, she was the only one to question its necessity, saying that the law was "open to too many interpretations, the definition of pornography [too] ambiguous, ... divisive and bound to be difficult to implement,"[2] and noting that traditional dances like Jaipongan could fall under its definition.[5] She has also dissented in cases regarding blasphemy law and a quota for legislative seats for women.[4] She is expected to serve until 2013.[3]
Farida is also a lecturer on legislation at the University of Indonesia; after becoming a constitutional justice, she kept the job because she feared that "if [she did not] teach it would be tempting for [her to] not read or not learn anything new".[4] She is also a guest lecturer at numerous other universities.[3]
Views
Farida believes that the Constitution of Indonesia guarantees equality between Indonesian men and women, but that its application has been lacking.[4] She believes that the traditionally patriarchal culture has limited women's chances by limiting their educational opportunities.[4]
References
- Footnotes
- Bibliography
- Bahari, Adib (2011). Pendekar Hukum Indonesia [Indonesian Legal Giants] (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Pustaka Yustisis. ISBN 978-979-3411-04-0.
- Haryanto, Ulma (21 April 2010). "Judging by Her Record, Maria Farida is Not Afraid to Stand Out". The Jakarta Globe (Jakarta). Archived from the original on 1 December 2011.
- "Maria Farida Indrati" (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Constitutional Court of Indonesia. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011.
- "Maria Farida Indrati: "Orang tidak boleh menilai saya porno atau tidak!"" [Maria Farida Indrati: "People cannot judge me as being pornographic or not!"] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: National Commission on Violence Against Women. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011.
- Sabarini, Prodita (16 April 2010). "Maria Farida Indrati: Feminine voice of reason". The Jakarta Post (Jakarta). Archived from the original on 1 December 2011.