Monrovia – It is one of the many propositions on the docket of the Legislature seeking approval for a referendum but as it stands the Gender Parity Act that seeks to give exclusive 15 seats to women in the Senate is far from gaining approval as some senators made open opposition to the bill.
To some senators, exclusively allotting 15 seats in the Senate for women, will increase the already heavy financial burden of the Liberian government. Other senators have also asked for reports of best practices from other countries where such practices are occurring or have occurred so that they help to inform them on best practice to follow.
One senator, who could not hold back the way he feels about it is Senator Dallas Gweh of Rivercess County. According to him, any attempt to grant such requests to women will mean they will be creating an exclusive constituency in the Senate that could run against their interests on issues.
“Mr. Pro-Temp and colleagues, to do this that will mean, we are creating a body that could hold together on issues. Having 15 women plus what we already have could create a constituency in this Senate that will vote in unity on issues.”
The Act in its original version proposes the creation of 21 ‘Special Legislative Constituencies,’ out of which 15 would be reserved exclusively for women and three seats each for youth and people with disabilities, with at least one seat allotted for female representatives within each group.
Experts believe that while Liberia has made immense progress in the promotion of women’s participation in politics, the enactment of the Act into law will guarantee the participation of more women and other marginalized segments of the population.
The development of affirmative action for equitable participation and representation in the House of Representatives is a sincere attempt to draw a disadvantaged and underprivileged sector of our society to the avenues of inclusion, which will help to increase understanding of the magnitude of the exclusion which we have suffered throughout human history.
With only 12 percent of women in the Legislature and six percent of women holding local government positions, Liberia still ranks among the lowest in the world, in terms of women’s representation in governance.
On the African continent, Liberia holds the 40th rank out of 54 in terms of women’s representation in parliament. The Liberia Legislature in August 2015 endorsed the ‘HeForShe Campaign’ as an affirmation of its commitment to promoting gender equality in Liberia.
UN Women works with the Liberian Government, civil society and other actors to address the barriers to women’s political leadership by supporting the establishment of gender-responsive legislation and policies, capacity building for aspiring women candidates and increased civic education for women voters.
Following nearly 13 years of uninterrupted peace, Liberia is at a critical juncture in protecting its democracy with presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 2017 and the passage of the ‘Affirmative Action Bill’ is a step in the right direction towards guaranteeing the participation of women and other marginalized members of the population in shaping the country’s progress.