The Female Legislative Caucus has announced that moves are underway at the Legislature for the reintroduction of the draft gender equity bill.

The moves, according to the group come amid fresh discussions on the importance of the bill by Liberian legislators, local and international stakeholders. The Female Legislative Caucus is undertaking the discussion to win the support of their male colleagues and other critics of the bill.

The discussion got underway Wednesday (May 18, 2011) at the Legislature with the holding of a parliamentarian consultative dialogue on the re-crafted gender parity bill. The gender equity bill which seeks equal participation of women in governance was earlier rejected by the Senate on constitutional grounds.

The Senate said the minimum thirty-percent representation of women in political parties, appointed and elected positions, violates Article 18 of the Liberian Constitution.

Article 18 states that “All Liberian citizens shall have equal opportunity for work and employment regardless of sex, creed, religion, ethnic background, place of origin or political affiliation, and all shall be entitled to equal pay for equal work”.

Relying on this Constitutional provision, the Senate threw the gender equity bill out of its chamber to the disappointment of their female colleagues, some of whom staged a walk-out in protest.
Re-crafted bill
With the fresh efforts, the Chairperson of the Female Legislative Caucus and Margibi Senator Clarice Jah told reporters the gender equity bill has now been re-crafted.
“Under this bill we have provided the clarity now that we are not calling for allocation of seats to women but rather the equal participation of women in politics and to ensure there is a level playing field”.

Senator Jah explained “the re-crafted gender legislation will still carries the equal participation of women in political governance”. According to her, contentious issues including the minimum thirty percent representation of women in political governance have now been down played.

“We talked about thirty percent in passing but all along we have not restricted women of Liberia to thirty percent though it was a minimum we requested for every gender in the Republic of Liberia…so this bill is not all about women but all sexes”.

Resubmission underway

Given the number of lawmakers that attended Wednesday’s hearing, the Chairperson of the Female Legislative Caucus was proud to declare that the failed Legislative instrument will bounce back at the Legislature where it will be endorsed, hopefully.

“Definitely by next week we will be re-submitting the bill. We saw the President Pro Tempore here and we have already crafted a bill…and it will be submitted to the Liberian Senate with the latest being on next Thursday”.

Senator Jah was right to point to the presence of the Senate President Pro Tempore Cletus Wotorson in her attempt to win the support of the Grand Kru Senator.
Wotorson has been a known critic of the gender parity bill as he is noted for declaring that he is opposed to allotting free seats to women in the name of equal participation.

“At this occasion let me say again, that I’m not in favor of setting aside seats for women but rather all of us need to work to form part of the political governance of the Country. Women must go to school to advance themselves adequately to participate in the governance process of Liberia”.

Time for women

During the dialogue Wednesday, there were mixed reactions over the bill with some panelists pledging support while others rejected it. “It is time we give women the opportunity to form part of the political governance process because for too long they have been marginalized and sidelined. I’m therefore in support of this gender equity bill”, stated Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, former Labor Minister.

The former Labor Minister warned male Legislators to be mindful against the gender parity bill “because any attempt by them to reject the instrument will affect their re-election bid as women constitute a significant portion of the voting population of Liberia”.

Cllr. Gongloe became a celebrated figure for pledging his full support to the gender equity bill as a team of women led by Senator Gloria Scott of Maryland County trooped to the respected Liberian lawyer for exchange of handshake.

However, Grand Cape Mount Senator James Momo soon cut short the celebration with a statement that it would be a of God’s word to allow women to be above women in society.

Earlier, the Senior Programme Office of International IDEA which is an Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance stressed the relevance of ensuring the representation of all groupsincluding women in the decision making processs of the Country.

Madam Rumbidzai Kandawasvike-Nhundu, a Zimbabwean, is a multi-disciplinary gender practitioner with several years of hands-on professional experience on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment initiatives at national, regional and international levels. She was brought into the Country as part of the campaign to provide education and help explain the essence of ensuring women’s representation in the political governance process.

Uncertainty over passage

Senators including John Ballout of Maryland County pledged their support for the passage of the gender equity bill, saying “I have always been in support of this bill as it came initially because I’m one person in support of the empowerment of women in Liberia”.

Wednesday’s parliamentarian consultative dialogue was the first since the rejection of the gender equity bill by the Senate over two Months now. It remains blurred whether the Senate which is male dominant will reconsider its decision on the gender equity bill being pushed by their female counterparts.

There are fears in the Legislature that setting aside a quota for women’s representation in the political process will set a ground for other groups including the disabled, Youth, Muslims and Christians to demand the allotment of seats for their representation. These apprehensions are likely to resurface though the Female Legislative Caucus is lobbying to lure the support of their male colleagues in the Legislature.