Seri Wati Iku

Seri Wati Iku (sometimes given as Seriwati Iku) is a politician from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia, currently serving as President of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council.

Iku was first elected to a position on the Council in 2015 and is one of only a handful of women to serve on the body since it was founded in 1992. In October 2017, she was elected by other members of the Council to serve as Shire President; she is the first woman to hold that position in the history of the islands.[1] Her term of office ended in 2019.[2]

In her professional life, she serves as a project manager for the Cocos Islands Cooperative. As a shire councillor, Iku has participated in discussions with the Australian government regarding the territory's strategic location and the desire by Australia to establish a defensive presence in the islands. She has expressed reservations about the idea, largely because of concerns that a large non-Islander population might negatively influence the local culture. She has also said that an Australian-only presence, rather than one which involves other nations, might be considered more favorably.

Iku is married to a man from Malaysia[3] Fazli Musa, and has a son named Izahan Fazli. She said that she hopes her example will inspire other women in the islands to pursue an interest in local politics.[1]

References
  1. "ABC North West". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. "Meet the Council". www.shire.cc. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. "ParlInfo - Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories : 05/04/2017 : Strategic importance of the Indian Ocean Territories". Parlinfo.aph.gov.au. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.


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