National Capital District Governor and a member of the Papua New Guinea Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence(GVB) Powes Parkop expressed his disappointment over the recent enactments in Parliament stating that despite almost 10 years of fighting for women’s seats in parliament nothing has been done to date to realise that.
“In just one go they’ve created 13 new seats, will women win these seats? Most likely, men will win these seats again,” he said.
“That is why we are saying, put in temporary seats for women.
“When women are in Parliament, people will get used to, understand and respect that women can provide political leadership too.
“Then after 20 years, men and women can contest in an equal playing field.”
While calling on the women in NCD to continue advocating and fighting for women’s seats in Parliament, Parkop said that he and other Members of Parliament were not given the opportunity to debate this issue in the last Parliament sitting.
“From 22 proposed seats we it brought down to five and if we are to bring it down even further to two or even one it is still very hard,” he said.
“So this will not change until women in the city fight for these seats because women in the city represent the vast majority of women and girls throughout the country.”
Parkop said this while addressing participants of the walkathon against tuberculosis in the nation’s capital.
The Special Parliamentary Committee on Gender Based Violence recommended for the government to reserve five seats for women in each region.
However, the committee was advised by the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council, Ivan Pomaleu, that due to timing constraints the reserved seats for women cannot be made effective during this Parliament.
SOURCE: POST COURIER/PACNEWS
