Demand for a quota for women increases as Parliamentary elections draw close:

Unequal and unfair

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

Though there is verbalised appreciation for women in politics, among politicians and political parties alike during election campaigns, often it is a ploy to gain only women's support and hardly translate into supporting women as candidates.

Women at a polling station

Sri Lanka produced the first woman to head a Government in the modern world by electing Sirimavo Bandaranaike as the Prime Minister in 1960. Yet, the country is still far below even Rwanda where 64 percent of its Parliament is represented by women MPs.

And Rwanda is not alone. Senegal, Seychelles and South Africa have the highest number of women in their Parliaments, according to an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) assessment in February 2015.

Worldwide, only one out of five parliamentarians are women. The difference with the countries with higher female political representation in Parliament does not necessarily show they are equal societies due to the presence of the special quota system, according to the IPU assessment. In Ruwanda, 30 percent of all candidates standing for various elections must be women, while in Senegal, it is 50% since 2012.

Sri Lanka is still struggling to mainstream the idea of 25 percent reservation for women candidates with little success so far.

There had been lobbying going on for over two decades with more consistency and strength recently, but the country's political parties have so far failed to adopt the system, a tool used in India for empowering women in the political decision-making process.

Severe disparity

Ferial Ashraff	Rosy Senanayake	Anoma Gamage

The election manifesto of the current government pledge to achieve this target. Women politicians say, this target is for the local level elections where women's representation is crucial. Women politicians, be they in Parliament or Provincial Councils, it was a new political culture that was expected with the new government.

"We, as the Women Parliamentarians' Caucus are giving our fullest effort to take steps to ensure a 25 percent women representation in Parliament and the Provincial Council level," said Minister Child Affairs , Rosy Senanayake.

Entering politics on her own, Senanayake held her position with the United National Party (UNP) as a woman who created her own political career through hard work. The Women Parliamentarians' Caucus, with the establishment of the new Government, have had discussions with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe followed by discussions with the Commissioner of Elections, to facilitate the inclusion of a reservation for women candidates.

Minister Senanayake made these remarks at a recently held conference themed 'Celebrating women: Towards an inclusive political culture', organized jointly by the International Alert and the South Asia Policy and Research Institute (SAPRI).

"Women activists have been tirelessly working over this issue for years. I am very proud that we have very strong women in advocating this concept to ensure better inclusion of women at decision- making level, also within the political parties, including the UNP," she added.

Senanayake pointed out that Sri Lanka should not stop by achieving a 25% quota, but should try to make sure that it can be increased up to 50%. Highlighting the effective and positive aspects a women political majority could bring, Senanayake said, many public issues discussed that need political interventions would have more perspectives and an inclusive approach if women were accommodated at the political decision-making level.

Her argument was that their male counterparts tend to overlook at common issues like undernourishment, domestic violence and parallel social issues but with more women power in politics that could change. "It is a better tomorrow for the country and the youth that we are expecting with these efforts," she said.

Despite these efforts, the present election reforms the Cabinet of Ministers approved last week, unfortunately, does not reflect the acceptance of better representation for women.

Key recommendations

The Young Political Leader's Forum of Sri Lanka (YPLFSL) released a working document with key recommendations and Multi Year Action Plan to increase women's representation in political institutions. Among the key recommendations the YPLFSL highlights the importance of making the current discretionary quota for women and youth mandatory. Member of Parliament, representing the Young Political Leader's Forum of Sri Lanka (YPLF-SL) Hunais Farook said that increasing women representation in politics is a step towards creating a vibrant democracy.

He said that working jointly with the Women Parliamentarian Caucus of Sri Lanka the YPLF is stressing the importance of implementing the recommendations in political institutions at different levels.

Following several workshops and discussions with women activists, politicians, the YPLF documented the list of recommendations."Women activists are clamouring for a 33 percent women representation. We will begin discussions within our parties on the possibility of converting this to a mandatory quota," Farook said.

Research on nominations for women reveal that there is a major gap between the public statements of the major political parties in particular the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party about increasing nominations for women and the number of actual nominations given to women during elections, as stated in the YPLF working document.

As young parliamentarians we commit to explore ways and means by which the internal party quota can be adopted at least in our own constituencies at local level politics whereby more nominations can be given to women, Farook said.

One major issue regarding many Sri Lanka women politicians is their mode of entry in to politics. As observed in most cases they enter following the death of the father, brother or husband. A very few have entered by themselves.

Senior politician Ferial Ashraff and Deputy Minister of Irrigation and Agriculture Anoma Gamage were of the view that it is unfair to point out only the plight of to women politicians.

The issue was taken up at a round table discussion held jointly by the International Alert and SAPRI to issue the YPLF Working Document and the Multi Year Action Plan.

"The family background to a certain extent helps women to enter politics and be good politicians But that alone is not sufficient," said Ashraff.

The need of women at decision making level has not been made clear to the politically active women leaders working at ground level , she explained. We encourage people to enter politics but we should give a clear view of what it is all about, she added.

Commenting on the part played by activists who are trying to promote women political representation Ashraff stressed that it is high time they promote women at village level because men do not want women to fight for their rights.