Wardah Hafidz (pronounced ) is an Indonesian 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.
''

The Jakarta Post ''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta. ''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...

''. 3 June 1999. She is protagonist in the 2013 documentary Jakarta Disorder about

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

and democratization in Jakarta. She raised controversy in 1999 after announcing that numerous groups had misused

social security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

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 ) , foundation = , youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force) , women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps) , newspaper = ''Suara Karya'' (1971–2016) , headquarters = Jakarta , ideology ...

. 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,Protesters threaten to arrest, beat Wardah
. ''

''. 3 March 2002. 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 Jakarta City Hall ( id, Balai Kota DKI Jakarta) is the seat of the Jakarta City government. The complex contains the official office of the governor and the vice governor of Jakarta, and the main administrative office. Jakarta City Hall is locat ...

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 The term Government of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Indonesia) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively to the three traditional branches of government – the executive branch, legislative branch and ju ...

had unclear mechanisms for the distribution of

subsidized A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

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 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, awarded by the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

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 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offic ...

for its policies on agriculture, debt, water, gender, the environment, and indigenous people.

References

File:Wardah Hafidz in "Jakarta Disorder" (documentary).jpg, Wardah Hafidz as main protagonist in the documentary "Jakarta Disorder" (2013) by Ascan Breuer {{DEFAULTSORT:Hafidz, Wardah Indonesian activists Indonesian women activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)