Femmes, je vous aime…and it is solely because I respect you immensely that I do not believe that quotas are needed for you to prove to the masses that there should be more women in parliamentarian positions...provided they are competent. As a firm proponent of equal opportunities, I am in favour of choosing the best candidates irrespective of caste, creed, colour and gender and thus firmly against any system of seat allocation on criteria other than merit.
Le vrai débat de fond that would have been of interest to voters, instead of the petitioning for one out of three candidates in constituencies, would center around the betterment of the lives of Mauritian women in society. How, in a non-demagogic way, we would find ways to provide protection to women from falling prey to humiliation of any type that would encompass the inequality of pay, the poor treatment of women in some communities, or sexual predation of any kind. All of these real issues have been forgotten, sacrificed I dare say, on the altar of gender equality for the selfish needs of a few.
Of X Chromosomes and quotas…
Global female representation in politics stands at a low 18%. Shares have been introduced in a number of countries across the world and have taken the forms of voluntary, constitutionally guaranteed ones and reserved seats. The results? Mixed. Legislators in Rwanda saw in quotas a formidable way of ensuring that women, who had been heavily victimised during the genocide, would be given the needed aid to ensure that they would play a greater role in the Rwandan society and help soothe some of the great pain that had been caused to them.
Albeit Rwanda, where there were pressing needs to be dealt with, the imposition of quotas has not been commensurate with the greater emancipation of women in these societies. Has this rationing helped in altering the lives of women in other legislations for the better? I doubt. Did Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership create greater equilibrium between genders in India? Certainly not.
A number of reasons could logically be drawn against quotas. Besides flouting the very pillars of equal opportunities, they cast doubts on the mettle of those women chosen. Yes, Mauritian politics remains a male citadel but this bastion can be broken by encouraging more competent women to make their voices heard in the political cauldron. Before I get assailed with accusations that I am leaving the fairer sex in an unwinnable battle, let me reassure you, it is as difficult and even more so for an opinionated male member to be heeded on issues such as political financing or corruption in any of the leading parties in Mauritius.
Trop facile…
Simplistic solutions offered to a most pertinent issue, but truth be told, this has all been part of the Mauritian pre-elections landscape for long. Offering rabble-rousers supremacy above thinkers and allowing those with egotistical motives to impose themselves on other grounds than competence.
The one out of three candidates per constituency campaigners would no doubt enhance their credibility with additional information on why should this be done with details on how it will improve the lives of women in the Mauritius.
Let this show médiatique be replaced by more thought provoking debates.
Absit invidia.
Chetan Ramchurn
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God's Favourite Chetan Ramchurn shares some drops from his ocean of knowledge with you...
