FOUR women will join Dame Carol Kidu as members of National Parliament in 2009, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Puka Temu said yesterday.
Dr Temu told a workshop for all woman candidates in the 2007 elections in Port Moresby that the Prime Minister had made a commitment for Parliament to utilise Section 102 of the Constitution to nominate four women to Parliament to join Moresby South MP Dame Carol Kidu, the only female leader in Parliament.
Section 102 allows for three women to be appointed. To appoint four, this provision needs to be amended, and it would be the first time since Independence for Section 102 to be utilised.
Dr Temu said the Prime Minister has also made a commitment to establish a Woman’s Office next year.
The two commitments are part of an overarching policy framework currently being looked at by Government which will, among other things:
*Consider legislative changes to ensure there is 30 % representation by women in all decision making positions in the public sector from council wards to Parliament and heads of departments and statutory institutions;
*Institutionalise a gender advocacy process whereby children are taught from elementary school to colleges to re-orient the prevailing culture of male dominance towards more gender consciousness; and,
L To make changes to the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments to authorise the Registrar of Political Parties to deregister parties which do not have a women wing or policies on advancement of women.
Dr Temu said: “No matter how hard we try, our embedded culture does not allow for our women candidates to win. For the moment, we need legislative changes. There needs to be a policy intervention for fair representation… 30% of all decision making positions must be with women.”
He urged women leaders to provide an inventory of qualified women around the country to the National Executive Council so that a number of women are available to Government any time a job comes up for consideration.
Executive Officer to Papua Hahine Social Action Group, Susan Setae said: “I have never in all my years heard such a commitment from Government and at such a senior level.
National Council of Women President, Ms Scholla Kakas said: “I believe and I know that it (what Dr Temu promised) will happen. That it is coming from the Deputy Prime Minister and that it is coming from a Government that has already promoted a woman to head the Internal Revenue Commission, I know it will happen.”
It is understood that a submission is already before Cabinet from Community Development Minister, Dame Carol Kidu relating to the nominated members’ position calling for not four but six nominated positions.
Dame Kidu told the women yesterday that these were interim stop gap intervention measures only which would expire in 2012.