Women’s voice in the grassroots

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa made a pertinent point at the recently concluded SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference. He stressed that it is essential to strive to increase youth and female representation in Parliaments of the South Asian countries for achieving socio-economic development.

As Speaker Rajapaksa pointed out in his address, the SAARC region has witnessed the oldest form of democracy practised by the Sakyas, the clan of Prince Siddharta who became Gautama Buddha. But it is blighted by the relative lack of women’s representation at all levels of the political ladder. With the elections to the rest of the local bodies around the corner, it is worth visiting this topic again.

While South Asia as a whole is rather lacklustre in this department, Sri Lanka’s position is even more disconcerting despite being a country that produced the world’s first woman prime minister and later, a woman executive president. The present Parliament has only a handful of women MPs, (out of 225 MPs), which is pathetically low for a flourishing democracy that has had universal franchise long before gaining independence in 1948.

The situation at other levels of the local political structure is no better. There are only a few women representatives at provincial councils and local bodies. This is not a healthy state of affairs at all, because the voice of women really matters.

At the grass roots level, it is women who know the ground realities and social and development needs better than the men in most instances. They know what their respective areas urgently require. For example, it is mostly women who trek for miles and fetch water in some areas. They know the value of having a water source right in their village. That should be a development priority. Likewise, women have an intimate knowledge of all development and social shortcomings faced by the village community. This is why it is important to give them a voice – and the power – right from the grass roots level to implement these projects.

There should be a search for women who are already active in grass roots NGOs, various societies and community organisations. These are ideal platforms for launching a long political career, because they possess a fairly good idea of the paramount needs of their areas.

Lankan women are politically savvy. They are, in fact, the majority of the voting population. Go to any polling booth on July 23 and see which line is longer – the females’ queue will invariably be longer. This shows how keen women are to exercise their franchise. They have a very good knowledge of political news and trends. Begin a discussion on politics at home or in the office – and the women will join in with their unique perspectives on current issues. Their opinions are valuable and their verdicts are often spot on. As to why this is not translated into greater political representation for women is a mystery.

If we analyse this mystery, one factor becomes clear: women are not voting for women in sufficient numbers. This is a shame, because the demand for more women in Parliament and other political bodies should emanate from women themselves. If women also overwhelmingly vote for male candidates, there will be little place for women in politics. The women candidates too should make an extra effort to reach out to the women constituents. They must show that a woman can take up their issues much more effectively than a man can.

There are a number of other issues that discourage more women from entering the fray. In Sri Lanka, it is difficult to enter the political field if you do not have the right ‘connections’ which often means a family background in politics. Indeed, most of the women representatives in political bodies happen to be wives, daughters or sisters of renowned male politicians. Breaking into politics is difficult otherwise.

An effort should be made to defy this trend. Political parties must encourage more young women without a political background, especially professionals, to take up politics initially at grass roots (Pradeshiya Sabha) level. They should be given guidance and assistance in this regard.

Another impediment for prospective women candidates is money, or rather the lack of it. You need a lot of it to contest an election, especially under the existing PR system. Propaganda material and meetings cost millions of rupees, not to mention food and drinks for supporters. Again, there should be a mechanism where the political parties subsidise a part of the campaign for novice women politicians, if not for those with means or family connections. This way, they will stand a better chance at the hustings.

The violence associated with the electioneering process is another potent factor that drives women, especially new entrants, away from the political stage. They are completely alien to this environment and do not want to get entangled in clashes with other (male) candidates.

However, there is a chance that the level of violence would be greatly diminished once the new electoral system is introduced. Reported to be a mix of the first-past-the-post and PR systems, it will facilitate a more level playing field for all candidates at electoral level. They will not need to stretch their resources to district level under the new system. Once the new system is implemented fully, more women should be given an opportunity to enter politics.

Women already in politics must act as catalysts in this regard. They should help identify prospective political aspirants in their electorates and pave the way for them to come forward. This will help dispel any fears and doubts that may be initially entertained by the new candidates.

The media too have a major role to play. They should highlight the success stories of women who have taken to politics here and abroad, including those without any family connections to politics. This will help plant the seeds of a political career in the minds of many more women and at least some of them are likely to turn their thoughts into concrete action. That is exactly what we need at the present juncture to enliven a political field mostly bereft of female representation.