Electoral reforms: What about

women?
2015-05-08
Electoral reforms have become the hottest topic in debate at present.
Despite the various promises the good governance regime has granted or is
willing to, there are certain shortcomings in this new initiative. Womens
rights have been an issue that has needed consistent attention from those
in power.
Although many womens rights activists and organizations worked in favour
of the good governance concept with some new hope, a question remains
as to whether their voices have been heard.
Following is an insight of the memo which was drafted by two lawyers and
rights activists Dr. Nimalka Fernando and Shamila Daluwatte on behalf of
the Womens Political Academy and the International Movement against all
forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR).

Highlights of the memo

This memo has been developed after several consultations with various
womens groups, organizations and political activists. Its main aim is to
strengthen womens political participation while requesting the new
government to observe national and international commitments to
womens rights and to promote womens political rights in line with pledge
number 14 given by the government in A new Sri Lanka for Women and
pledge number 30 of the 100 days programme.
The memo aims to :
Recognize gender equality between men and women while understanding
that it is fundamental to create a just and equal society in Sri Lanka
Acknowledge that 52% of the population in Sri Lanka which comprises of
women and therefore to consider that women are the majority of voters and
workers
Emphasize on the extremely low participation and representation of women
in politics and public life, including a low representation of women in
parliament, provincial councils and local authorities and at decision-making
level
Consider that high costs of the electoral campaigns and a violent political
culture create barriers for women who might wish to contest for elections
Note that the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution has not
included any provisions to introduce a quota for women in order to enhance
substantial quality for women
Electoral Reforms
As mentioned at the beginning, electoral reforms have become a major
area of concern with regard to the new constitution. This memo in Womens
Political Participation and Decision-Making with regard to Electoral reforms
too touches on this topic. In this section the memo recommends to :
Reform local governance with a view towards providing a 25% quota for
women in local government bodies,
Appoint one-third of women from the National List at the Parliamentary
elections
Clearly define the current allocation of 25% for youth in the local
government elections act, in a way that half of nominations should go to
women,
Lobby for law reforms mandating a quota system , applicable to members
appointed by the national list, for women in Parliamentary elections,
provincial council elections and in local government bodies,
Pay attention to law reforms in other South Asian countries which reserve
quotas for women.
Take examples such as the Seventy-third Amendment to the Constitution of
India which created a 33 percent quota for women in Panchayat Raj and,

accordingly, bring a Constitutional Amendment in Sri Lanka for reserving

not less than one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct
election of women in all local government bodies

Public Appointments
In terms of public appointments, women dont get much attention. It is
quite common to see male-dominated institutions which often exercise
biased decisions. Women should be involved at decision-making level and it
is a key component in gender equality. As such the memo urges to :
Appoint women to one-third of the membership of all other commissions
such as the Judicial Service Commission, Police Commission, Public Service
Commission, Bribery Commission and Elections Commission
Establish a system and specific targets for creating gender balance in public
appointments to governmental and semi-governmental bodies, committees,
public administrative entities, judicial offices, government ministries,
diplomatic missions as well as in the appointments to boards, corporations
and universities,
Increase the presence of women in post-war reconciliation bodies such as
the Presidential Task Force and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission (LLRC).
Political Parties
Why women are not given leadership positions is another question that
should be raised. Other than the two occasions in which Sirimavo
Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumarathunge were appointed to ruling
positions, there has been less to none occasions to celebrate women in
power. Realizing this as another vital component in womens participation,
the memo requests to :
Increase the number of women in leadership positions, non-elective public
positions and political bureaus with political parties,

 Direct all political parties to reserve one-third of nominations for women at

all elections,
Strengthen womens wings of political parties aimed at building a critical
mass of womens leaders in strategic decision-making positions within
political parties,
Allocate funds to enhance leadership, public speaking and political
campaigning skills in order to assist young women and girls, particularly
prospective female candidates to encourage them to take up decisionmaking positions.
Shamila Daluwatte (BA, Political Science) and Dr. Nimalka Fernando, both
lawyers representing womens voices in the legal field drafted this memo
on behalf of the Womens Political Academy to be considered by all political
parties along with the guidance of the President, the Prime Minister, and the
Cabinet.
Women comprise of 52 percent of the population and 56 percent of voters
in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the new government should include constitutional
provisions to reserve a 25-30 percent quota for women in local government
elections as promised by the Presidential Manifesto Article 14 of the New
Sri Lanka for Women and the Article 30 of the 100 Days Programme.
In addition, the National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of
Human Rights section 5(1) states that thirty percent (30%) minimum
representation of women in Parliament, Provincial Councils, and local
authorities should be included. Taking these pledges and promises into
account, womens rights groups vehemently urge the new government to
take womens rights seriously and give prominence to womens political
rights by including 25 percent quota for women in local government bodies
by bringing changes to the proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution
with immediate effect. - See more at:
http://www.dailymirror.lk/71583/electoral-reforms-what-aboutwomen#sthash.7vyAqpDf.dpuf
Posted by Thavam