BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR – Tutik Kusuma Wardhani, a member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the Democratic Party representing Bali, has called for women’s representation in parliament to reach 30 percent, following the Constitutional Court’s Decision No. 128 of 2026, which she said brings new hope for Indonesian women to become more involved in politics.

Speaking at the aspirational house on Pidada, Ubung, Denpasar, on Thursday (May 28, 2026), Tutik said the current number of female lawmakers in the DPR RI remains far from ideal in representing women’s interests and aspirations across Indonesia.

According to her, there are currently only 127 women among the 580 members of parliament. She emphasized that the struggle to increase women’s representation in politics is still challenging.

“I want the 30 percent representation of women in the DPR RI to be achieved. That means around 174 women should be seated in parliament,” she said.

Tutik stressed that women play a crucial role in understanding and finding solutions to issues affecting women, ranging from social problems to economic and financial pressures.

She also urged political parties to provide greater opportunities for qualified and capable women to enter politics, both in legislative and executive positions. She said real support, including financial assistance and strategic candidate list placements, is necessary to improve women’s chances of being elected.

“Give women strategic ballot numbers so more women will be encouraged to enter politics,” she added.

Tutik also encouraged the public, especially women, to vote for female legislative candidates so that women’s aspirations can be better represented in political institutions.

She noted that data from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows women make up around 49.5 percent of the country’s population, nearly equal to men. Therefore, she believes women’s representation in public policymaking must be strengthened further.

As a cadre of the Democratic Party, Tutik said the party continues to carry out social and empowerment programs aimed at encouraging more women to participate in politics. She expressed hope that more women from Bali and across Indonesia with strong quality and capacity will run as legislative candidates in future elections.