Parliament agrees to reserve 22 seats for women

IN A MOVE that provided a sharp contrast to the recent high jinks in Papua New Guinea politics, parliament today passed a law guaranteeing 22 seats for women in the assembly.

After two years of political pressure, and some moments of hesitation in the past, the Equality and Participation Bill passed 72-2 this afternoon.

The seats will be created in time for the next national election.

At present Dame Carol Kidu is only one woman in the 109-seat parliament.

Dame Carol has championed the Bill, and its passage represents a significant personal triumph for her on the eve of her retirement at the 2012 election.

AAP reports that 50 women sang, danced and hugged outside parliament after the bill was passed.

Comments

[Mary Koisen]

Dame Carol Kidu, Josephine Abaijah and, on the world scene, Margaret Thatcher, Helen Clark, Julia Gillard, the Thailand Prime Minister, and the number of female premiers in Australia like Anna Bligh, May Lee, American congresswomen Condalisa Rice, Hillary Clinton and countless more are women who fought alongside their male counterparts in the political arena to achieve the places they were in or are in as we write.

They like their male counterparts went to elections and got voted in by the ballot. This in itself would have been the greatest achievement wouldn't you think? A sense of "aahh I did that". Fair and square.

I have my reservations about the 22 'reserved' seats.

I'm just not comfortable with the idea of being given seats because "we're women" and "we're a minority".

I don't know. I just couldnt settle for that - it just seems too ... what's the word? ... yes "easy".

Hopefully we will have responsible women step up to the plate and not the sort that depict the Roman emperor Ceaser Augustus wife Lydia who only married the emperor because she wanted the power, wealth, social status and all the entitlements that go with privilege.

If you know the story - you know how it turned out. Bad.

Anyway.

Only time will tell.

[Barbara Short]

Wonderful news!

It will be interesting to see which women get elected and the impact that they have on the way the country in governed.
Dame Carol Kidu has set a fine example for them to follow.