Women and the Womb of Civilization

Tauhid Nur Azhar

Yesterday, I received an invitation from my close friend, Dr. Raden Ajeng Irma, to deliver a graduation speech at a non-formal school titled “Indonesian Women’s Education,” which she conceived and pioneered. To date, the school has produced 8 generations consisting of women from various dimensions and professions.

Operated independently, this women’s education school carries the spirit of Raden Dewi Sartika, her husband, who happens to be a relative of my grandmother. The aim is to improve the quality of Indonesian women in various fields.

The invitation to give the speech made me reflect and contemplate on the uniqueness of women as humans with a broad and holistic spectrum of capabilities. There is an irreplaceable role as a mother, but there is also the capacity to augment oneself and participate in various professional fields. Women not only make significant contributions but also bring their own values, rich with empathy and sensitivity. They are intelligent, articulate, and sincere in sharing and giving. Sometimes, the values embodied by women can bring philanthropy and humanity to the forefront of business models that were previously driven solely by competitive values and the pursuit of survival through the consecration of existence.

The role of oxytocin, prolactin, and estrogen, along with all their receptors and networks, has become an integrated part of the Mother’s movement in the realm of civilization construction. Women with broad insights and precision in reading the signs of the times, as well as perseverance in cultivating solutions and determination in the process of achieving goals, possess several core values that manifest in resilience, empathy, persuasion, determination, and consistency.

The commitment of women in nurturing and honing every element of life has made them a representation of the macro womb, embodying every merciful aspect of the womb with warmth and tenderness, accompanied by a sense of care and steadfastness in fighting for goodness.

Isn’t the gestation period of 9 months and 10 days evidence of patience in the process and loyalty in accepting various pressures that can be transformed into gratitude and an enjoyable journey?

If allowed to rewind time within the timeline of the story, I am reminded of my struggle in the great team called TFRIC-19, led by the visionary and efficient Head of BPPT, Prof. Hammam Riza. Time has proven that this team has made significant contributions by producing various innovations to manage the impacts caused by the pandemic.

Within this great team, there are also the heroines of civilization who, with high levels of persistence, are able to build a collaborative construction within the framework of synergy to produce highly impactful innovations with the sole intention of helping the nation.

Let us mention the name of Prof. Sofia Mubarika, who consistently provides scientific guidance that greatly broadens insights and brings academic brightness. Also, mention Dr. Sri Harsi Teteki, a director of a pharmaceutical holding state-owned enterprise who is always full of energy and possesses a determined attitude with a high intensity in efforts to realize ideas that require consistency, willingness, and the ability to synergize.

There is also Christina Sanjaya, a business leader of a diagnostic and healthcare company, the largest in Indonesia. Her decisions are careful, yet quick and accurate, always based on the level of importance with precise prioritization.

Furthermore, there is Dr. Diah Iskandriati, who has been entrusted as a member of the Board of Directors of the prestigious International Federation of Biosafety Associations since October 2023. Together with Dr. Sri Harjati Suhardi, PhD, who is calm and composed, yet firm and straightforward, they work together to develop the concept of biosafety in an effort to reduce bio-risks in various pandemic control activities.

There is also my friend from high school in Bandung, Santi Indra Astuti, an expert in communication. Even after the storm of the pandemic subsided, she continues to be a beacon in the realm of the new sub-discipline known as the “infodemic,” managing information about the pandemic based on scientific principles and effectively conveying it to the public.

There are also Prof. Aryati and Dr. Nyoman Suci, who are experts in Clinical Pathology. They often work in a quiet room that doesn’t receive much attention, hidden behind the density of laboratory instruments. But their passion and perseverance, combined with precision and keenness, ultimately become a source of inspiration for all of us.

In the field of genomics, let’s mention Prof. Marcelina Irasonia Tan, my teacher from SITH ITB. Simple and humble in speech, she narrates with easily understandable diction through the use of analogies. Together with Dr. Azzania, they often play the role of problem solvers without being distorted by discourse that ends only in plans without real action.

And last but not least, there are my younger sisters, Sharlini Eriza Putri and Farah Rangkuti, two pre-millennial generations with a global and humanistic perspective. They can elaborate on ideas and turn them into tangible scaffolding to produce meaningful scholarly products by optimizing their intellectual capacity and understanding the importance of cutting-edge technology.

Outside of TFRIC-19, during the pandemic, I also got to know more closely the contributions of remarkable women such as Dr. Widyastuti Kendar, my senior colleague at FK Undip, who led the DKI Health Office team to overcome the pandemic with proven and scientifically-aligned strategies. There are also heroic researchers behind the scenes like the late Dr. Novilia Safri Bachtiar, my travel companion, whose contributions were immense in Biofarma. Together with her friend Dr. Neny Nurainy, they were a dynamic duo with seemingly boundless energy, even seemingly devoting themselves to Indonesia and the welfare of mankind.

The public should also express gratitude to Dr. Situ Nadia Tarmizi, a female doctor who serves as the government’s official spokesperson. When she is involved, pandemic information can be presented rationally, proportionally, and without a formal and patronizing tone.

Of course, there are still many more women in the midst of the pandemic whom I cannot mention one by one. Some play a role in the field of health, while others are heroes in education, and undoubtedly many others are economic heroes without any official recognition.

The dynamics of the nation amid the world’s conflicts have also brought forth women figures such as Mrs. Retno Marsudi and Mrs. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a pair of friends who have been together since their school days in Semarang. It cannot be denied that both of them are representations of Indonesian women who may be the spiritual embodiment of Queen Shima and Queen Tribhuwana Tunggadewi, two wise women in history who were skilled in strategy and placed their country at the level of influential nations in the world. The game of diplomacy and economics can indeed be described as two sides of a coin that are interconnected and intertwined in the context of prosperity and security.

Then there is also my teacher, Mrs. Ir Dyah Erowati, an ITB alumna who has been involved in the energy business but later shifted her focus to become an initiator of Geoparks, which has proven to bring the concept of environmental sustainability and pragmatic daily interests into a harmonious orchestration of management. Her work can be enjoyed and studied in Belitung. Currently, she tirelessly devotes all her energy and thoughts to managing and developing the potential of the areas that are part of the scope of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Indonesia.

When it comes to the future of Indonesia, we certainly place some hope on individuals like Carina Joe, who works at the Jenner Institute, Oxford, where one of her achievements in adenovirus vectors has been developed by AstraZeneca into a vaccine used to combat the pandemic.

I proudly mention Carina’s footsteps here, which have been followed by my idol student, Avinindita Nura Lestari, who is currently a master’s student in Genomic Medicine at the University of Reading, Oxford, UK. Focusing on genomic research on heart disease, Dita, as she is called, has made me incredibly proud to see her academic achievements.

Writing all of this reminds me of the contributions of my grandmother, Prof. Utju Rubaah, the first female doctor from Pasundan. She was a child of an ajengan (religious scholar) who defied the norms of her time when girls were not allowed to receive proper education. Despite a world that was not in her favor, she managed to navigate through with the support of her parents’ prayers and her unwavering determination. The Weltevreden area in Batavia (now Jakarta) became a witness. A Sundanese girl proved herself capable of obtaining a medical degree from the Geneeskundige Hoogeschool te Batavia.

Returning to girls’ education, a sudden inspiration arises regarding the ongoing political contestation in the country. There are women who play important roles in various public positions, such as Mrs. Nicke, the CEO of Pertamina, and others, whose roles are equally vital and significant.

Who are they? They are women who teach us about life, fulfilling the roles of both mothers and teachers alongside their other life roles.

Mitochondrial inheritance provides biological privilege to women, granting them special access to the matrilineal line. Therefore, the current conditions, characterized by instant and materialistic culture with hedonistic tendencies, can be approached by focusing on the education and improvement of women as educators of the nation’s civilization.

The current conditions, in my opinion, are not even exposed in the campaign materials of presidential candidates, which are typically dominated by cross-sector national programs. However, there are crucial issues that are very noticeable and often encountered in our daily lives.

Issues such as littering, hate speech, cheating, proxy attendants, and buying degrees have become common. Moreover, in today’s era, we have access to technology that indulges our egos and diminishes our empathy.

Choosing private vehicles and being reluctant to use public transportation, for example, has become a phenomenon that reflects an instant mindset that has immediate impacts in the present rather than in the future, and it affects who is impacted. Inward-looking and egocentric behaviors have become characteristic. The spirit of our nation can be eroded through this process.

This process can also erode our humanity and concern for others. Personal interests and core interest groups dominate decision-making priorities, which affects decision-making hierarchies.

Perhaps it is time to revisit and elaborate on the noble values of female educators, the guardians of life, in every aspect and level of life. This nation needs the spirit of mothers who are empathetic, participatory, collaborative, assertive, communicative, and possess predictive abilities within a constructive context.

Mothers and women who are competent in safeguarding the humanity taught to others through their behavior, actions, and intelligent touches infused with love and affection.

Women who are part of the effort to reactivate the default mode network function of the triple network model of brain function. This includes the primary function of assessing situations, thinking about the possibilities considered by others, and analyzing various factors and cause-and-effect processes that need to be thoroughly examined before making decisions. These skills can be further promoted and become a basic life skill for our beloved nation.