Recently, the president of Somaliland (SILANYO) appointed committee to make feasibility assessment how women and marginalized tribes can be promoted their level of participation in leadership and decision-making processes. The quality is needed for that committee is not big enough according to importance of this matter in social development trends for legacy, because the committee is nine people. Only one person is woman.
That shows us the cultural behavior of presidential palace of Somaliland is dominated by patriarchal culture, extremely favor for men.
Another point is important to be mentioned is; all Somaliland parties, including currently ruling party have not filled properly all positions were allocated for women. although, there are little-bit improvements for the last elections in development process stages naturally, such as ministerial posts in the SILANYO government, According to development trends and international development support requirements from international committees, and womens’ organizations.
It is imperative to deal with promotion of women’s representations for accessibility and participation in leadership and decision-making processes in politics. But it is desperately needed to put concentration on controlling sphere, instead of access. There are great signs, which is showing, that there is external pressure coming from international committees and human right activists around the globe.
I wanna to remind you, a noteworthy thing for politics which related with this matter was discussed above. When you want to increase the level of participation in politics for under-represented group in political cabinets, you have to revise your legal systems and an electoral regulations and laws, if there is governmental commitment to implement mechanisms effectively.
Every time is not compulsory the national legal systems to be revised according to different quota systems which introduced and implemented by so many, governments among distinct regions in different electoral systems. Voluntary party quotas can be employed and implemented by parties through their platforms and electoral statute of those parties.
However, the question is what kind of systems or mechanisms do they come with a next few days?
Critical analyses of an electoral regulations, codes and laws will be required to adopt effective mechanisms and systems by implementing through well-researched means and ways to prevent political…considerable obstacles by solving difficulties and challenges for womens’ promotion….representations in politics. But the committee has only three choices for promoting womens’ public life: firstly, legal candidate quotas, Secondly, reserved seat quotas, thirdly, political party quotas, Mandated by either government through constitution or electoral laws and codes, or parties in their platforms and electoral statutes. But the appointed team’s main responsibility is to make simple-short feasibility study on that manner to get the suitability of solution for under-representation of the women and the tribe in politics.
The most effective and fast track of increasing the representations of women and marginalized tribes will be electoral quota, especially legislative one because, right now, it is not possible to make constitutional amendment. Also the voluntary quotas will not be effective solution for under-representation problems. but a combination of both……the voluntary and the mandatory quota, particularly legislative quotas which fall into mandatory category and voluntary from political party quotas category can be the best system, According to the capacity of barrier with social structure in Somalia.
By: KHADAR IMAN EGE,
Gender researcher
CONTACTS:
khadariman@hotmail.com
imankhadar@gmail.com
www.criticalmentalists.blogspot.com