Women MPs stress cross-party caucus

Kathmandu / Dec. 28: The newly elected female parliamentarians and women activists have sought for an organised women’s caucus in the upcoming federal parliament, to collectively lobby and prioritise women’s agendas.

Speaking at a programme organised here on Tuesday to discuss the women’s participation and role in the upcoming parliament, female lawmakers said the caucus, a cross-party interest group of women, is essential to prioritise issues concerning gender equality and social welfare.

Rekha Sharma, a newly elected House of Representatives (HoR) member of CPN (Maoist Centre) said women lawmakers should put aside their ideological differences and unite on women’s agendas.

Expressing her happiness that young and energetic women lawmakers of different backgrounds had been elected to HoR, Sharma said now the women lawmakers should coordinate and work with solidarity to safeguard women’s rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

“The constitution itself is not complete. But it has guaranteed many rights and achievements. Now the focus should be on institutionalising those guaranteed rights and address the lapses,” she added.

Talking about the under-representation of women fraying in the direct electoral system, Sharma said there should be an obligatory provision to ensure equitable share of women candidacies under the direct poll.

Highlighting the need of women’s caucus, Bidhya Bhattarai, a lawmaker of CPN-UML said the women lawmakers should join forces to ensure further rights of women by safeguarding the constitutionally ensured rights.

Stating that if any female lawmaker raise any issue singly going against their party leaders they might face harassment, Bhattarai said the female lawmakers should raise women’s issues in the parliament collectively.

To develop women’s leadership, their representation should be guaranteed from parliament to all state agencies, she added.

Another lawmaker Ranju Jha of Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal said female lawmakers should work hand in hand to prioritise women’s issues while formulating new laws by keeping their ideological biases on back seat.

“Now the priority should be given to women’s economic empowerment against the backdrop of profoundly unequal society to attain national prosperity,” she added.

Bina Lama, lawmaker of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, also shared her experience of working as vice-chairman of the local body for five years and society’s attitude towards

women leaders. The inequality also persists in how society views women leadership, she added.

She also expressed her disappointment that women representation in all echelons of power remains limited to the constitutionally required bare minimum.

Lawmakers, Ishwori Neupane and Indra Rana Magar also expressed their solidarity to collectively raise agendas of women, children and marginalised communities in the parliament.

Likewise, Bandana Rana, member and former vice-chair of CEDAW Committee highlighted the need to form women’s caucus and asked female lawmakers to raise women’s agenda by rising above their party.

Parliamentarians have also raised the issue that the mandatory provision is needed to ensure at least 33 per cent representation under first-past-the-post category.