Having a quota for women parliamentarians should be carried out slowly.
This was the suggestion of a former political party general secretary during the Electoral Law Reform consultations in Nadi this week.
“There is one thing about this country I have noticed and that is there are so many laws that we want to adopt very quickly that we haven’t been able to cope with them,” said the Nadi resident.
“It is different when they are applied realistically from the perspective of our different communities and cultures.”
He said for women, the quota should start from 15 per cent.
“What happens if you get all of the lingo right and you sign on and tick all of the boxes of our international treaties, but the people are not ready?
“We can vote for the quota to be 15, 20, or even 30 per cent.
“So, if the number of votes is in support of women’s representation or a particular quota given to women, I think we will rely on the wisdom of the committee to suggest that.
“Women are very capable and there is absolutely no doubt about that, but there are many things that interject like culture, trends in society and that some would like to see it done slowly.”
This year, there have been calls for increased women’s representation in Parliament, with proposals ranging from reserving a specific number of seats to achieving 50 per cent gender representation.
Public consultations and submissions to the Electoral Law Reform Commission have highlighted the need for women’s voices and perspectives in national decision-making.
