Youth debate: Participation of women in politics

The issue of women in politics has always generated a lot of debates. It is generally believed that a greater participation of women and young people in the political life of our country will lead to a stronger democracy. A consultative and participative decision making structure, involving women and young people, is indeed more than necessary in meeting the varied aspirations of our diverse nation. Last week in the National Assembly, the Prime Minister stated that it is essential that women and young people participate in political activities, including standing as candidates for the National Assembly Elections.

Keshav Jokhun: “It is vital for us to encourage women participation”

The female gender roughly amounts to 50% of the world population, says Keshav.  “It is vital for us to encourage women participation in politics in order to make full utilization of all our human resources in order to be more effective.  In the wise words of Madeleine Albright, every country deserves to have the best possible leader, and that means that the female gender has to be given the fair chance to compete.  If a nation does not empower women to participate in the electoral race, then that country is really depriving itself of a great deal of talent. Many countries have experienced impressive shifts in female parliamentary representation, primarily through the implementation of gender quotas.

Proportionate gender quotas have also been introduced in Mauritius at the local government level, but not yet at national level. Ultimately, these measures have increased the representation of women in politics.  The apprehension, however, is that women needs to be elected based on their capabilities and competences, and not just because they are the female gender.  We definitely do not need women to be flower pots, or to be placed as showpieces in our Parliament.  We need dynamic and hard-working women to engage in a progressive politics through transformational leadership.  Such women are not really scarce around the world.”

Jaleela Hassennally: “The influence of women in politics is unprecedented”

According to Jaleela, with highly advanced technology and access to the internet, the world is shrinking and the trend today is moving towards the feminization of politics. “The influence of women in politics is unprecedented. From senators to prime ministers, women are increasingly invading the private spheres of men, politics. Women, through aggressive awareness and empowerment campaigns have come to understand that their fate lies in their own hand, not in the ever persisting patriarchal society.

Coupled with international pressure, women have come to realize that they are left with no other alternative than to join politics in a larger number to ensure the survival as a full-fledged citizen. The alarm bell has started to ring for women to take possession of their lives. There are no two ways to join politics but through an aggressive awareness campaign to take them out of their fake concept of being children of a lesser God, a second class citizen, so that they become conscious of their fate and fight for the emancipation of their thoughts and actions.”

For her, pressure groups like African Peer Group, African Union, European Union, United Nations and even locally organized groups like Women In Networking (WIN) and Women In Politics  (WIP) are leaving no stone unturned to influence policy decisions to legislate for larger representative of women, even using positive discrimination measures, to join politics.  Political parties are pressurized to take larger number of women on board as candidates.

Mohini Deepoo: “Women face numerous barriers”

From the local to the national level, women’s political participation is restricted, argues Mohini.  “Women face numerous barriers to participating in political life and in order to overcome this, one needs to undertake civil and political rights education at national level in order to boost people’s awareness of the involvement of both women and men in political governance. Political parties need to take actions such as reviewing procedures that obstruct the participation of women and incorporate gender issues in their political agendas.

NGO’S need to move forward for the creation of training environments where women can advocate on matters of policy, run for political office and participate in every facet of political life. Women’s political participation is not a luxury. It is simply a basic human right.” As an example, she refers to the Chairman of National Democratic Institute, Madeleine K. Albright, who once declared that “If women are never allowed to compete in the electoral process, then the countries are really robbing themselves of a great deal of talent.” Thus, failing to allow women to participate in politics is failing to achieve a fairer and more equal society.

Habeeba Nobee: “A party gender action plan should be developed” 

Habeeba highlights that mainstreaming of women in politics can only become real only if they are fully supported. “Gender-equal access to campaign funds and financial resources should be ensured for adequate funding of women candidates and equal access and distribution of party resources. A party gender action plan should therefore be developed. At the level of political parties, party structures, processes and practices should be reviewed to ensure equal and equitable women participation.

Opportunities for women to learn from international experience should also be created. It is critical to remove cultural and traditional barriers against women as decision-makers and leaders, and build confidence in women to engage in politics by putting more emphasis on the economic and social benefits of having women in leadership positions.  Women need to believe in their competence and ability to bring about positive changes nation-wise. There is hence a need for more local female role models.”

For the young lady, to unleash the potential of women, it is essential to provide for training and mentorship programmes for women civil members, female journalists and women’s organizations, and conduct political education forums so as to empower women by building their knowledge on designing campaigns and reinforcing their leadership and media skills. “Creating awareness among women about the local policy issues is another aspect to be considered, inviting all women to share their ideas and knowledge, and support governmental agencies to develop sustainable strategies for the country’s advancement. Furthermore, in linking local campaigns to global trends, NGOs can contribute to increase women engagement in politics. Greater involvement of women in public life and politics can certainly be achieved by the sharing of work and family responsibilities between both men and women.”

Nishta Jooty: “Women interested in politics should be trained”

Women have a very important role in the political and socio-economic development of our country, says Nishta. “Women constitute 51 % of the population and it is a real shame that they are under-represented in politics even though they are as qualified as men. There are various ways to increase the participation of women in politics. We should first increase their chances of running for elections at all levels of government. This can be done by imposing that each political party has at least one man or one woman out of three candidates in each constituency.

This is already being done for municipal elections and should be adopted for general elections as well. This way, women will have a better chance to get elected and to occupy a place in the government. Existing gender roles undermine women’s political ambitions. Women are less likely to participate in politics because of family concerns and responsibilities. In Mauritius, women are still responsible for household tasks and child care and as long as this is our reality, people assume that because there is not equality or equity on that dimension, it translates into politics. There should be a change of mindset.”

For her, women are very likely to believe that when they do politics, they do not do as well as men. “We have to change this misperception. Women have the knowledge, experience, skill and talent that are indispensable to the smooth running of our country. Mauritius would be governed better if there were more women in politics. Countries with women leaders are associated with higher economic growth. Women interested in politics should be trained and coached so that they have all the necessary skills to participate actively in politics.” 

Kevin Keenoo: “Women should not be confined to their home”

The parliament is sacred, as it represents the voice of the people, believes Kevin. “It enacts the legislations and designs the direction for the prosperity of a country but shifting from what is accepted in theory to how it is lived in practice, the gap is wide. The saddest truth however is not about the width of the gap but about how silent people have grown over years about the role of our parliament. We need to adopt a strategy to tackle this concern. Every election is a fundamental milestone in the history of our island. It is the moment of decision. For years, our population has chosen to empower the big surnames. Women have also stood up for this challenge. We should encourage more and more women to actively engage into politics. The role of women should not be confined only to the boundaries of her home.

We are in 2016. We must think differently and as we adopt this new thinking, we must give the opportunity to women as well to secure a seat in parliament and women should create their opportunities, instead of waiting for them to surface up. Women should come together, to discuss trending issues, to build their political manifesto and program, to work for the progress of our country and for the welfare of its people, to make themselves known and to stand strong in the face of adversities. Women in politics, at local and international level, have demonstrated great performance and passion in serving their country. In Mauritius as well, we must have a balanced parliament. The old game of higher percentage for man and lower percentage for women, or bringing women in parliaments just to win vote from the feminists should no more be the highlight. We must bring them on board not for the sake of showing that we stand for equal opportunities, but deep down because we believe in them.”

Rani Boodhoo: “Women’s participation in politics has been limited”

Rani states that for a better democracy, women should not only have the right to vote and to elect but to be elected as well. “Women’s participation in politics has been limited by myriad reasons. If a country has to run democratically, it has to allow the women to prove themselves as political leaders. It is time to sweep off the age-old paradigm of ‘dirty politics’ and allow girls to shape their own perspective about politics. Stop the gender-stereotype revolving around the political bastion.  

Women are often intimidated to break through the political world since it is believed to be created by the men for the men only.  There must not be any discrimination or taboo that should hold a woman back to participate in politics. They must be treated as equals.” She further explains that if a woman wants to join in politics she does not know how to proceed, then political agents must be more accessible to us. “We must bridge the gap between women and politics.  Women must be trained to think as future leaders. A proper guidance will help a lot. There is an equal proportion of women in parliamentary seats, we now have a woman as the president of Mauritius but this is not enough. We need to get more women to participate in politics and encourage the future generation to redefine politics in their own terms.”