Indonesia gets star-studded cast of new lawmakers, and first female Parliament speaker

Puan Maharani, the daughter of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and granddaughter of founding president Sukarno, was unanimously elected as speaker, amid protests outside Parliament

Other lawmakers include pop diva Krisdayanti, former soap opera star Rieke Diah Pitaloka and pop singer Mulan Jameela, as political parties use celebrities to get more votes

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Published: 5:17pm, 2 Oct 2019Updated: 7:20pm, 2 Oct 2019

Indonesia’s new Parliament got its first female speaker of the House of Representatives when Puan Maharani, the daughter of the country’s first female president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, was sworn in on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old, a member of President Joko Widodo’s cabinet, was unanimously elected in a move seen as symbolic for gender equality in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

“It has an important symbolic value. We will have to see how she handles her position in the months ahead,” said former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

Puan Maharani – who is from the largest party in Parliament, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) – has served as coordinating minister for human development and cultural affairs since 2014.

Former star Rieke Diah Pitaloka. Photo: Instagram

Her mother, Megawati Sukarnoputri, is the current PDI-P leader while her grandfather was the late president Sukarno, the country’s founding father who fought for independence from Dutch rule.

Parliament was sworn in amid heavy security as protests continue since presidential elections in April.