Parity, Diversity, Polity and Political Parties

SHEILA BUNWAREE

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Not all women are the same, we do not constitute a homogeneous block. This statement applies to men too. We differ in terms of socio-economic background/class, age, ethnic and religious belonging, as well as education and values, thus making us very diverse. Gender and women’s inclusion in the political arena is an important debate which often gets occulted as a result of deeply entrenched patriarchal structures and functioning. Now more than ever before, women’s perspectives and lenses are necessary so that gains made so far on SDG 5: gender equality do not get eroded.  Are we doing enough to prevent this erosion from happening ? Are we hearing enough of womens’ voices, needs and experiences in these challenging times, at a time when the world seeks to recover from the pandemic and from the spill over effects of the Ukraine war.  And where are womens’ voices in addressing the implications of the rapidly shifting geostrategic relations and the climate change debate on our daily existential conditions for instance?

Discussing the recovery and how to build back better, The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, addressing the 65th UN session of the Commission on the Status of Women, notes:

‘”…we cannot go back to the failed man-made policies that have resulted in the fragility we see around us – in healthcare systems, in social protection, in access to justice, and in the well being of our planet…’’

and on a different occasion he also notes:

‘Bridging the gender divide is not only a matter of justice for women and girls. It is a game changer for humanity… Women’s equality is essentially a question of power. We must urgently transform our male-dominated world and shift the balance of power, to solve the most challenging problems of our age.’

‘Shifting the balance of power’ to obtain a more gender equitable political space, not only in terms of a better numerical representation of women but to ensure a politics of transformation, informed by feminine perspectives, needs and dispositions has therefore become most urgent. It is to the credit of the former Speaker of the Mauritius Assembly that she set up the gender caucus. The latter was, amongst other things, to assist towards a better representation of women in parliament but for reasons unknown to us, the gender caucus seems not to be functioning.

More women in parliament does not guarantee gender equality on the ground but the chances are much higher if they are given the opportunity to contribute to a gender-driven societal agenda and refuse to be silenced by an oppressive patriarchal system.

Mauritius performs rather poorly in as far as gender equality is concerned, as reflected by its ranking on the global gender gap index. We are at the 115th position in the world. This is not to deny that we have made some important strides in as far as empowerment of women is concerned. Several gender sensitive legislations have been introduced which have certainly assisted towards greater women emancipation but not enough to change the deep patriarchal structures that pervade every sphere of Mauritian society. Nor are they sufficient to address the growing feminization of poverty.

For years now, it has been argued that a gender friendly electoral reform, the introduction of quotas to address the historical disadvantage that women face, can assist to address the poor representation of women in politics but no steps whatsoever have been taken in this direction. There is one easy and straightforward step that can be taken however. Political parties have the possibility of fielding an equal number of women as candidates in the forthcoming elections but that is only if they are sincere about gender equality. When the making of alliances ask for sacrifices to be made at ‘’ticketing’’ time, potential male candidates should start making some significant sacrifices as well. Women have to be counted in – they do not wish to be voters only, they want to be voted in because it is well established that women can make a big difference to the human condition.

If the male dominated political class thinks that it would be able to earn women’s votes without giving a better chance for women to participate in the political life of the country, it is making a big mistake. Gender Links has rightly started a most pertinent campaign called “rezone/50-50’’ towards parity, certainly not only because it wants to see more women in parliament but it is convinced, like many of us, that women can make a significant difference. And please dear readers and male colleagues, do not take the examples of the few women who are failing the nation miserably to justify your resistance to greater inclusion and gender diversity. There may well be a few Lady Macbeths and some others who are uncouth, and focused only on the material rather than the spiritual, willing to engage in a politics of division to satisfy the tyrant and in so doing ensure their own re-election. But there are also competent, ethical, well intentioned women instilled with values such as sharing, compassion, solidarity and above all Truth, to strengthen our fledgling institutions, to bring the deep transformation that our country badly needs, to help get rid of the tyrant and the diverse forms of oppression that the people of our rainbow nation are being subjected to. Political parties should know that meritocracy should start within their respective parties too.

 

 

 

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