It is our duty to participate in preserving and maintaining what became part of the Indonesian culture
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Women in the parliament should continue to be pioneers in the advancement of Indonesian culture that includes batik, House of Representatives' Speaker Puan Maharani stated.

"It is our duty to participate in preserving and maintaining what became part of the Indonesian culture," Maharani noted during a batik design contest held by the Indonesian Parliament Women's Caucus (KPP-RI) here on Friday.

"This is not just in clothing but also how we conduct our duty as a member of the parliament," she remarked.

Culture also encompasses the manner of speaking and behavior in addition to clothing. Indonesian women or female parliament members must be able to behave culturally, she remarked.

Within the context of batik, the House affirmed that this inheritance had become part of the Indonesian culture's uniqueness and part of Indonesia's identity that should always be preserved and maintained.

"Batik is one of the real forms of what President Soekarno said that we need to behave culturally," she elaborated.

Batik has a variety of types and motifs that differ across regions. Such differences fail to create a division among Indonesian people.

The diversity of batik is the realization of the Pancasila ideology and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or Unity in Diversity.

"We are allowed to wear any batik from anywhere as long as we like it and we feel comfortable," Maharani remarked.

"And how can this happen? It is because Indonesians are united by culture followed by the Pancasila ideology and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," she affirmed.

Meanwhile, the house speaker also lauded the five winners of the national batik design competition in which Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia had participated.

Maharani expects the competition to not only help MSMEs within Indonesia but also support the preservation and maintenance of Indonesian culture.

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Translator: Rizka K, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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