RI OBSERVES BIRTHDAY OF WOMEN'S EMANCIPATION PIONEER

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 21 (Antara) - Indonesia's greatest woman, who is the pioneer of emancipation of and equality for women and men, was born some 138 years today in an aristocratic Javanese family in Jepara, Central Java.          RA Kartini, who was born on April 21, 1879, when Indonesian women lived in the darkness of feudal culture and died on September 17, 1879, opened her mind and fought for the progress of indigenous women.          As a greatest pioneer for the fate of women, RA Kartni's ideas became the role model for Indonesian women's resurrection. She was awarded the status of National Hero by the government on May 2, 1964.          On Friday, the Indonesian people commemorated RA Kartini Day.          Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Yohana Yembise, said that in the current era, Indonesian women should become the driving force behind change. "The commemoration of Kartini Day is a very good moment to reflect on women being very important figures in the progress of a nation," she said during the celebration of Kartini Day.