There’s no equality in women’s bill

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday 25th November 2011

A YEAR ago, I wrote about reserving 22 seats for women in parliament.
It seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
I want to stress that the bill is far from the principle of equality as sta­ted in our Constitution.
Numerous articles regarding the bill have been published in our dailies and I realised that most writers were men arguing, perhaps with a little pinch of gender politics.
However, if I remember correctly, several women writers also wrote against the bill and argued that it was not in the best interest of the female populati­on.
I commend them as they also realised that there was no equality in participation in this bill.
There is no denying that PNG women can do anything the men
can but that very truth is being
 threatened by this irrational bill.
It has nothing good except to please the United Nations and to show that we have achieved some of the millen­nium development goals when in actual fact we know we have not achieved any of them yet.
So the question is why are we pretending to do that and risking the integrity of our women folks?
If we look at our women, they are not weak or vulnerable as deemed by the UN.
Instead, our women are strong and are already equal in their own rights.
Dame Carol Kidu, the late Margret Apaiger, Janet Sape and many others have shown that women are just as good in politics and business.
Were these women given special treatment or did they receive any help from the UN?
No! They excelled in the face of negativities, uncertainties and challenges just like every men.
Despite the odds stacked against them, our women folks showed they are just as capable.
That is the true source of our women’s strength which gives them an equal footing with the men.
Margaret Thatcher and Julia Gillard became prime ministers on their own right.
They compete against the men and beat them.
If they can do that without having reserve seats, then I believe our women can do that too one day.
That is the kind of positive thinking we need.

Jerry Tandawai
Port Moresby