Calls made for more women participation in Parliament but views on reserved seats for women differs during Electoral Act consultation

Calls for more women participation have been made during the consultation on the Electoral Act but there were different views shared on women having reserved seats in Parliament.

While speaking at the consultation held at the Suva Civic Centre, President of Counterstroke Fiji and Electoral Disability Awareness Working Group member, Elizabeth Reid Fong says there should be more women in Parliament but questions the Fiji Law Reform Commission on why they should be ineligible.

She says quotas should be used to increase women's number in Parliament such as in Samoa where its first female Prime Minister introduced quotas.

Fong believes that using quotas will overcome the patriarchy that exists in the country.

She adds that there should be reserved seats for women in Parliament and men should be able to vote for women in those seats.

While supporting the recommendation to have reserved seats for women in Parliament, NFP member Priscilla Singh says reserved seats would be a way to start.

She says she has been working in the area of women in politics for almost three decades and it is a hard ask for women to get in.

FNU Medical Student Nitish Sharma says he is a bit sad that there aren’t a lot of women in Parliament right now.

He says the quota system for women can be looked into in the short term, but not a long-term solution.

Sharma believes the change should be a cultural one and the population should be the one voting for women.

Retired Teacher, Ecelini Weleilakeba showed her support for more women's representation in Parliament and said that women giving birth to politicians should qualify them to have a place in Parliament.

She says women are managers in their homes, looking after the affairs of the house, which men and boys take for granted.

Weleilakeba says these valuable skills should not be ignored.

She is recommending that the Commission hold a consultation with women NGOs, and find out what they think.

SODELPA General Secretary Viliame Takayawa says they support greater female participation in national leadership, but reject the idea of reserve seats, which may promote tokenism rather than genuine inclusion.

He says they are suggesting to empower women through political party policies, leadership training and civic education, but not legislative quotas.

Takayawa says we should create enabling environments that support women's candidacy in leadership development.