Pages
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 5
(19 of 22 pages)
And I want to be really frank and say that the democracy is not -- for example,
the democratic is not the only value that is important in our society. There is the democracy of the military,
for example. So we need to say that there should be a co-operation between men and women inside and within these
political parties, in order the strengthen the representation of the civil society and also the NGO should play
a role inside or within these parties and to have a more effective role for women, rather than having them as decoration.
This is what I wanted to say. Thank you.
Chair: I'm going to ask people to be as brief as possible. Thank you.
Speaker: [Not available due to technical difficulties]
Chair: Thank you.
Speaker: Madam Moderator, in view of what you have just said, I have a few suggestions to make, but I wouldn't
say they are exhaustive. It is simply an attempt to contribute. I think what was indicated by my colleague here
from Malawi is very important, because also women in our parliament have a women caucus across party political
lines.
I think women's solidarity is important to be across party political lines. I think we should encourage that, both
in parliament, as well as in civil society, that that should be done. I wouldn't mind if you say it is important
with men and women that in elections you need also to consider not only the merit of a woman candidate, but also
the effect that that capable person happens to be a woman, as well, to encourage talent to come forward among women.
She also referred to something she also did at home and that is the scrapping of all discriminative legislation
against. In Namibia, until about a year ago, too, a woman who is married could not get credit from the bank without
the permission of her husband. She couldn't buy property, she couldn't even buy furniture without the written permission
from her husband, even if she had more money than her husband. So that law was adopted and I think that is in accordance
with the new convention against discrimination against women. So I think we should also take a resolution requiring
the scrapping of all the legislation that discriminates against women and to make women able and independent partners
of man collectively or individually.
I think we should also encourage the placing of women in positions of leadership in political parties. Some countries
I know, they use the tool, the carrot of state financial support to political parties to take into account the
extent to which a political party is [inaudible] he treats women equally and there is an increasing percentage
of women in his leadership, including the fact that women should also be placed, like men, on an equitable basis
on electable places on the party listed elections, not to put her number 72, when you know that the party can only
get ten or two people elected. So they should -- if you say number is man, number one is woman, such kind of a
balance if you don't want to have a pronounced quota system to establish equity or equality within the political
system. So a variety of tools could be used.
I'm trying to say frankly that the instrument in our emerging democracies of using a quota system should not be
excluded. I'm not saying it should be voluntarily accepted, but I should say it should not be rejected totally
out of hand as an insult to women. It will be seen as a promotive exercise to try to get women on top on an equal
basis with men, as soon as possible, and not to wait for 140 years or 200 years.
|
[ Introduction ] [ Worldwide Activities ] [ What We Do ] |