By Sarah Cunningham
Ask most teenage women in Australia who they consider their idol and they would probably reply Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow or even Sabrina, the teenage witch. My choice would be Dita Sari.
Dita Indah Sari, aged 26, has been a political activist for seven years. She has led the struggle for basic human rights in Indonesia. Her courage is inspiring.
In December 1995, Dita led a strike for better conditions and wages at a factory in Solo, central Java. Troops attacked the crowd and many workers were beaten and arrested. Dita and other activists were detained and not given food, water or medical attention. They pooled their money the equivalent of A$10 and Dita gave it to a man who had a serious head injury so he could get to Jakarta for medical attention.
When the others seemed to be losing hope, Dita said they had to go back to the workers. After their release three days later that's what she did. The same police dragged her away again. One told her, "We give up on you".
Dita visited Australia twice. On her second visit, she addressed the International Women's Day rally in Perth. "Women workers suffer from the worst conditions of all. They earn wages less than $1.50 per day", she said.
The minimum wage in Indonesia is Rp5200 a day (about US$2). The amount needed for basic requirements is Rp6200 a day. A recent study of a range of factories in north Jakarta found that 72% of workers were paid less than the minimum wage. A survey of women workers showed that 88% are malnourished.
Working conditions are bad. At many factories, workers are punished by being hit. They are subjected to verbal and sexual abuse. If a needle breaks or thread is pulled in a garment factory, workers have to pay for it. For the privilege of washing shrimp paste off their hands in a factory in Java, workers have to pay Rp50.
In April 1997, Dita Sari was put on trial with a number of other activists from the radical People's Democratic Party (PRD). They were accused of "subversion". During the trial, Dita gave flowers to everyone in the court, including the judge. She openly expressed her political views.
When she was to be sentenced, Dita wore a headband declaring "Democracy or Death" and yelled chants to the crowd of supporters. She was sentenced to five years' jail and is now Indonesia's only female political prisoner. The regime justified the sentence by saying that PRD members "are communists bent on overthrowing the government".
In prison, Dita has remained active. A few months after her arrival, there were a number of prison riots, which she was accused of masterminding. Dita is standing as a candidate for the PRD in the June 7 Indonesian elections and is continuing the fight for democracy from behind bars.
Resistance is campaigning for the release of Dita Sari and all political prisoners in Indonesia.