Wardah Hafidz
Encyclopedia
Wardah Hafidz is an Indonesia
n activist lobbying for the rights of the nation's urban poor. She currently serves as coordinator of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) and was formerly its head.
She raised controversy in 1999 after announcing that numerous groups had misused social security
funds during the elections, calling it "money politics
". The accused groups included the Public Participation Center, Women's Participation Cooperative, the People's Sovereignty Party, and Suharto's former ruling party Golkar
. Hafidz said that she was "terrorized" after the disclosures and told to vacate her office as it was located in a residential zone.
For her work in promoting human rights in Indonesia, Hafidz won the 2000 Yap Thiam Hien Award
, an annual human rights prize named for Chinese-Indonesian activist Yap Thiam Hien
.
In 2002, Hafidz accused the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (BBF) of accepting payment for rallying at Jakarta City Hall after the BBF chased flood-victims organized by UPC with swords and sticks. In response, the head of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum, A. Fadloli El Muhir, publicly threatened to have her arrested, beaten, and escorted to Monas (the National Monument) to clarify her statements. Hafidz ignored the threats, stating that the military and authorities should not use the masses to protect their own interests.
Hafidz alleged in 2003 that the Indonesian government had unclear mechanisms for the distribution of subsidized rice. She stated that the lack of a clear mechanism left the program open for misuse, with the public distribution "mere window-dressing".
In 2005, she won the annual Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
, awarded by the South Korea
n May 18 Memorial Foundation to recognize "individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work."
In 2009, Hafidz organized and presided over a mock trial of the Asian Development Bank
for its policies on agriculture, debt, water, gender, the environment, and indigenous people.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n activist lobbying for the rights of the nation's urban poor. She currently serves as coordinator of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) and was formerly its head.
She raised controversy in 1999 after announcing that numerous groups had misused social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
funds during the elections, calling it "money politics
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
". The accused groups included the Public Participation Center, Women's Participation Cooperative, the People's Sovereignty Party, and Suharto's former ruling party Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
. Hafidz said that she was "terrorized" after the disclosures and told to vacate her office as it was located in a residential zone.
For her work in promoting human rights in Indonesia, Hafidz won the 2000 Yap Thiam Hien Award
Yap Thiam Hien Award
Penghargaan Yap Thiam Hien is an award given by Yayasan Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia to people with contributions in human rights issues in Indonesia. The name is based on an Indonesian Chinese lawyer and a human right activist Yap Thiam Hien. The award is usually given every 10 December since 1992...
, an annual human rights prize named for Chinese-Indonesian activist Yap Thiam Hien
Yap Thiam Hien
Yap Thiam Hien was an Indonesian human rights lawyer.His father was Yap Sin Eng and his mother was Hwan Tjing Nio. He was one of the most notable people from Chinese heritage in Indonesia...
.
In 2002, Hafidz accused the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (BBF) of accepting payment for rallying at Jakarta City Hall after the BBF chased flood-victims organized by UPC with swords and sticks. In response, the head of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum, A. Fadloli El Muhir, publicly threatened to have her arrested, beaten, and escorted to Monas (the National Monument) to clarify her statements. Hafidz ignored the threats, stating that the military and authorities should not use the masses to protect their own interests.
Hafidz alleged in 2003 that the Indonesian government had unclear mechanisms for the distribution of subsidized rice. She stated that the lack of a clear mechanism left the program open for misuse, with the public distribution "mere window-dressing".
In 2005, she won the annual Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
Gwangju Prize for Human Rights
The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is an award given by the South Korean May 18 Memorial Foundation to recognize "individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work." The award is intended to...
, awarded by the South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n May 18 Memorial Foundation to recognize "individuals, groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace through their work."
In 2009, Hafidz organized and presided over a mock trial of the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
for its policies on agriculture, debt, water, gender, the environment, and indigenous people.