IPS 19 July 2019
"Instead of moaning all the time, why don’t you create your own (political) party?" some men asked Brigitte Rabemanantsoa Rasamoelina, a female politician from Madagascar. She accepted the challenge and in February formed Ampela Mano Politika, a political party which started with only 22 female members and now has over 5,000 female members ... and 10 men. (924 Words) - By Nasseem Ackburally
Courtesy of IPS
With female political representation standing at only 3.75
percent in Madagascar, a women's lot is very precarious, says
Rasamoelina.
And so too is the situation for many women in most of the Indian
Ocean Islands. Female political representation is a mere three
percent in Comoros, 18 percent in Mauritius and 23.5 percent in the
Seychelles.
It is one of the reasons why Rasamoelina and 30 other women from
the Indian Ocean Islands, gathered recently in Mauritius to
identify ways to attain parity among men and women in politics in
an event organised by the Indian Ocean Commission and Women in
Politics (WIP).
"There are only 67 female mayors for the 1,557 regional councils
and not a single female among the 22 heads of the regions,"
Rasamoelina says of the female representation in Madagascar.
While the situation in the Seychelles may be slightly different,
with claims that women do not face the same discrimination as on
other islands, representation is still low at 23.5 percent in light
of the country's commitment to the SADC Protocol on Gender and
Development - which commits countries to work towards the goal of
having 50 percent women in political and decision-making positions
by 2015.
And in Comoros, a relatively conservative Muslim country, only one
woman sits among 33 men in Parliament. While the challenges facing
women in politics are different on each island, they are also
similar in many respects.
Rasamoelina observes that in Madagascar a major obstacle to
women's participation in politics is motivated by the local customs
and traditions which say that men only should rule.
"Women are put in front when there is need to support and to
applause. We are not just machines to give the breast to a child
and to procreate. This is not our weakness but an added value to
the society," says Rasamoelina.
More women in decision-making processes, she says, would allow
women's voices to be heard. Women's rights organisations are asking
for Madagascar's new constitution to include the requirement for
gender equality in all aspects, including politics.
But in the Seychelles things are different. Men make room for
women in politics and the percentage of female representation is
the highest (23.5 percent) in this Indian Ocean island.
Linda William, the Principal Secretary at the Social Development
Department, says there is no discrimination against women in her
country and political parties elect people who are capable - be
they men or women.
"Evidently it is through education that women play a role in
politics in the Seychelles. There is no religious or cultural
barrier for women to be involved in politics. I would say it is a
matter of choice."
William says the Seychelles is well placed to reach the 50 percent
of female representation at the 2012 elections. But in contrast, in
Comoros women are barely involved in politics and are literally
absent from any decision-making process. Here the situation is
blamed largely on a lack of self-belief.
"The Comorian woman lacks confidence. She is satisfied with her
job in the public sector," says Echati Chadhouli, a member of the
National Network of Gender Lawyers (RENAG).
She does not blame men for lack of female representation in
Parliament, claiming that educated men would not prevent women from
entering the political field.
"We had some difficulty earlier with the religious leaders but no
longer. Women are now free to enter politics and to seek higher
positions. But since they are not fully sensitised, the Comorian
women keep people waiting for them," Chadhouli says.
In the French colony, La Réunion, men do not want to share power
so easily, says Nassimah Dindar, president of the General Council,
who also acts as head of the government of the colony.
"In spite of the legislation on parity on the regional and
municipal election list, there are still many hurdles from
political parties that women have to climb before succeeding," she
emphasises.
She finds it easy for men to tarnish the reputation of women and
to destabilise them in politics. "This is why many women are not
interested in politics fearing to get hurt in this battle of the
cocks," Dindar told IPS.
In Mauritius, it is still difficult for a woman to get an election
ticket. Here a candidate must be nominated by the leader of their
political party before they can stand for elected office. The
alternative is to run as an independent candidate.
Aline Wong, obtained an election ticket from the ruling party
"Alliance of the Future" but was not elected to office in the
country's May elections. Wong says men have always dominated the
political field while women are just starting and need some time to
find their place on this route full of hurdles.
"The party needs winning candidates. Since the leaders think women
have got less chance to win, they nominate only a few of them,"
Wong observes, putting the blame on the lack of a strong lobby for
women.
But Bruno Woomed, a member of WIP, who monitors the move to
improve female representation in politics in Mauritius, thinks
change will only take place through legislation and the
introduction of a system of proportional representation and a
temporary quota for women.
"If we leave it to the goodwill of political parties, nothing will
change," he says.
The women have committed themselves to mobilise society in favour
of female representation by 2015 by creating platforms to develop a
network among the countries where experiences and the best
practices will be shared. This network of female leaders is already
in operation.
Please credit article as follows:
Originally published by Inter Press Service. © www.streetnewsservice.org