INSPIRING CHANGE: WOMEN IN THE PACIFIC
but in 2012 the Bill to determine the seats’ boundaries failed to pass. Consequently there were no reserved seats in the 2012 election. Since the election all three women MPs have stated their opposition to the Bill, although PNG Member Delilah Gore would like to see four reserved seats, one for each region. The MPs said they had proven that politics is no longer a man’s domain and that women should win votes on their own accord to show that they are capable. I understand that Papua New
Guinea’s Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission completed its review of the Organic Law on Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates in April 2013 and presented it to Cabinet. Among the Commission’s proposals was a requirement that ten per cent of a party’s candidates must be women. The proposal was aimed at allowing gender equality in the decision- making process. In the Solomon Islands, the Prime
Minister announced in 2012 that the government was committed to its policy of ten reserved seats for women, but would take a
developmental rather than rights- based approach. He said that the idea of reserved seats must be in the context of the constitution, and be compatible with its spirit in terms of promoting equality for all citizens. A Political Parties Integrity Bill
was introduced in July 2013 with the aim of developing a strong, viable and transparent political party system to ensure stable government in the Solomon Islands. Included in its provisions was a requirement that, subject to demand by women for places, at least ten per cent of a party’s candidates must be women. Parties could claim SBD$10,000 to cover the campaign costs of each woman elected as an MP, and an administration fund of SBD$20,000 would be payable annually to parties for each of their MPs. The Bill was highly controversial, for reasons other than the provisions relating to women, and was eventually withdrawn in October for further consultation. The select committee to which
the Bill was referred thought that the issue of women in politics should be addressed in its own separate piece of legislation. The suggestion was
made to reserve a certain number of seats for women. The committee acknowledged and supported the idea of bringing women into the Solomon Islands’ Parliament, but said that the political will and motivation of all fellow male politicians was required to find an amicable solution to the on-going debate on the issue. Honorable Vika Lusibaea, elected in 2012 and the second women in Solomon Islands political history to enter the National Parliament, has urged women to prepare early for the 2014 election and is confident that it is possible for women to win without having to request reserved seats. In Samoa, women are now guaranteed a minimum of five seats in the Parliament from the next general election, after the constitution was amended in June 2013. If fewer than five of the 49 members elected are women, additional seats will be added to make up a total of five women. The additional seats will be allocated to the losing women candidates who gained the highest percentage of votes. The Bill had been controversial.
Supporters said it would help knock down the barriers to women entering Parliament and open up opportunities for them, while opponents thought that women in the reserved seats would be stigmatized as “gap fillers”, not elected on their own merits. Both Samoan women MPs, Hon. Fiame Naomi Mataafa, MP, and Hon. Gatoloaifa’na Amataga Alesana Gidlow, MP, supported the Bill. I am sure you will, like me, watch this process with interest. The three reserved women’s
seats in our Parliament in Bougainville made a huge impact and helped change attitudes – it was increasingly recognized that women could and should take on public roles. We, the three women MPs, aim to have women contesting all of the 33 open seats in the next election in 2015. I look forward to updating the CPA of our success!
Looking forward to 2014 So what is next for the CWP Pacific Region? I am very excited that this year the region will be looking
into developing print and digital resources, in Pacific Island languages. We will undertake activities to raise awareness of the CWP and opportunities for women to participate in political life. The Pacific Region wants to
not only ensure current Members are well-connected, but also to encourage future Pacific women Parliamentarians. In closing, on International
Women’s Day it is my hope that all men and women Parliamentarians take the opportunity to pause, reflect and commit to the work ahead.
Endnotes
1. Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partner- ships submission to the Pacific Plan Review 2013, para 5. 2. OECD (2012) Putting All Our Minds to Work: harnessing the gender dividend. 3. Governance and Leadership in the Pacific: Options to Increase Female Participation, Carly Stephan, The Foundation for Development Cooperation Briefing Note No.11 – July 2010. 4. Pacific Women’s Parliamentary Partner- ships Project: Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Initiative. 5. PNG, Islands Business, 11 April 2013
http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/papua- new-guinea/845/news-rules-for-political-par- ties-less-than-five-me/; Parties required to have women, The National, 26 June 2013 http://
www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/51937 6. Political Parties Integrity Bill 2013, 25 July 2013
http://www.parliament.gov.sb/files/ committees/bills&legislationcommittee/2013/ Political%20Parties%20Integrity%20Bill%20 2013.pdf; Bills and Legislation Committee, Report on the Political Parties Integrity Bill 2013, Sept. 2013
http://www.parliament.gov.sb/files/ committees/bills&legislationcommittee/2013/ Report%20on%20the%20Political%20 Parties%20Intergrity%20Bill%202013.pdf; Party bill sets for Solomon Islands parliament: PM Lilo, Islands Business, 18 July 2013 http://
www.islandsbusiness.com/news/solomon-is- lands/1991/party-bill-sets-for-solomon-islands- parliament-pm-/; Lilo backs down, Solomon Star, 4 Oct. 2013
http://www.solomonstarnews. com/news/national/19043-lilo-backs-down 7. Constitution Amendment Act 2013, 25 June 2013
http://www.parliament.gov.ws/im- ages/Constitution_Amendment_Act_2013_-_ Eng.pdf
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