bougainville | the role of men

SPEECH BY DEPUTY SPEAKER, HON. FRANCESCA SEMOSO

“PACIFIC REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON ADVANCING WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT”.

19th – 21st APRIL, 2006

RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS

To you the organizers, and participants in particular women who are present at this workshop, I extend to you warm greetings from the women of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Thank you so much for inviting me to share with you my experiences and thoughts on how best we the women of the Pacific Region can break the vicious circle of the political inequity that has kept the political men’s club going for ages, but more particularly how we women can mobilize voters especially women voters “Advance Women’s Representation in Parliament” throughout the world especially here in the Pacific Region which I believe is also the theme for this workshop. I know we are all concerned about this issue hence I’m sure our collective thoughts and contribution in this two days workshop will go along way in shaping and changing the political inequity that has ruled us for ages.

To the women participants, you all look beautiful and willing to help, share and learn. Your very presence tells me that we are all here to support, participate and collectively contribute to how we can advance women’s participation in parliament.
Also as far as I’m concern to tell the men of the Pacific that we are a force to be reckoned with as far as politics is concerned.

Before I deliver my short speech I appeal to all of us to maximize the time for the next two days to get down to serious business and come up with constructive and workable recommendations and resolutions on the issue of advancing women’s participation in parliament in the Pacific Region.

My fellow Pacific Island women, Freud,(pronounced - Froid) the originator of psychoanalysis wrote in a letter to his associate Marie Bonaparte and said,

‘The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is “What does a woman want?”’

Surely any woman could have told him if he asked her. We want to become what we potentially are, to develop our full human personalities. Freud(Froid) couldn’t see it because he could not see the world through a woman’s eyes. He was as much a prisoner of his own blindness as women of his time and ours are of their visibility.

My fellow Pacific Island women, let us learn from this honorable statement and move forward despite road blocks and myths up yonder. We should not be blinded by men’s conception that what they say is in the best interest of women. This is not true and not right. This is a mis-representation of our freedom of thought, freedom of association and freedom of speech. In total this is an abuse of women’ human rights under CEDAW, and UNSC Resolution 1325. Only women know what is good and what is right for them. Nothing more, nothing less.
Unfortunately the men of the Pacific have fallen into the same myth and mis-conception. Thus I surely hope that by contributing ideas and lessons learnt to this workshop will eliminate this misconception and help us find ways of improving and enhancing our participation in political life.

BACKGROUND

Ladies and Gentlemen, I just want to briefly highlight on the roles and responsibilities the women of Bougainville played in the traditional society as I believe this paved the way for Bougainville women leaders to participate in the modern political life when they were allocated three seats to contest in the Autonomous Bougainville Government election in April, 2005.

In the 12 districts of Bougainville, except Nissan Island and Buin district, women are the historians of genealogy, a role shared with her maternal brothers. Women also remembered genealogy related to clan ownership of lands. In the political life of the community, women played a backstage role, the men played the public role of orators and messengers. Women were the caretakers of land and had to be consulted in land transactions and disputes and all matters.

In land conflicts men did the talking, but women decided the process from behind the scene. Women looked after the wealth of the family. They were the clan bankers and they kept the shell money.

Women are naturally well placed in the Bougainville social system so that they are respected by men because we also have women chiefs in our matrilineal society. Women had a lot of influence on decisions made in the village by chiefs.
Women were respected more because they were mothers and the breeder of future generations. Women were married off to warring clans to achieve peace and harmony between disputing clans. Women had a hidden power over the community; this means that when there was a very big dispute or conflicts, agreements can be reached and reconciliation takes place in front of a naked woman. This was definitely the case in very traditional society. It meant that if the accord was breached, the two conflicting parties would face the death penalty. In this case the death penalty can come in the form of a magic spell, curse, or murder.

With the coming of Christianity and Colonization this practice among other valuable values, norms, customs and traditions were stopped as they were deemed evil and satanic.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I firmly believe that our matrilineal system has played a very important role in the creation of three women seats in the three regions of Bougainville; North, Central and South. But the women of Bougainville had to lobby hard for these three seats. Pressure from women and NGOs effectively triggered change. NGOs articulated the need to include women in politics always quoting that women have been in the forefront of peace making and therefore women had the most experience.
Also men in Bougainville supported the creation of three seats reserved for women. And men campaigned for women as well.

Originally we wanted 12 women seats based on 12 districts we have on Bougainville. Anyway even though it was disappointing, a record 22 women contested in the three reserved seats. No woman contested in the constituency seats because of pressure to give their brothers a chance.

LESSONS LEARNT

Now I will share with you lessons learnt from contesting as a woman candidate during the Autonomous Bougainville Government elections.
During the time of campaign to enter politics I have found that people including women expect the following:

• Role Model – a female candidate has to be a very good role model;


• Self-confidence – women candidate must learn not to give up but to be consistent in there campaign despite all odds like politics is not for women;


• There is a need to work within communities and to strengthen and increase our campaigning impact. The impact has to be in the community because any community is a women’s community;


• Strong emphasis has to be placed on educating women especially in leadership, campaign and voting systems to assist women to make informed choices. It is extremely important that women know their rights as well. Strong alliances are also needed at community, provincial and national level;


• A strong supportive family including the clan networks is needed to support women candidates especially when women find it difficult to access funds for campaigns;


• Overcoming the fragmentation of women’s movement addressing our need to strengthen our working alliances and to compliment each other;


• Women should work together to address collective needs to build sustainable women’s networks;


• Women should face up to the reality of our weaknesses and seek advice;


• Be inclusive of new women (rather than sticking to the old guard) and organizing ourselves to work better together including the broader civil society;


• A women’s gender is always questioned when there is failure;


• The electoral system must be simple and clear for the majority of the women to understand and to participate meaningfully in it. For example the Electoral Commission to aggressively carry out community education awareness in villages;


• Overwhelming frustration with the current electoral system as being unfriendly to women as voters particularly in rural areas where education levels are lower. For example common rolls update must be accurate. All possible voters names should be included.

Personal Experiences

During my campaign I found that my gender was always questioned:

• My private life was scrutinized instead of focusing on my leadership and the issues I was standing for. I was termed a bad woman even by other women candidates for leaving two relationships. I was never asked why I had left those two relationships. If they had asked I would have told them that I could not stand living in those violent relationships;


• Prior to campaigning whilst being one of the Constitution Commissioner I met a partner whom I’m living with now, almost resulted in me being sacked from the Commission. Nobody ever questions men when they form relationships;

• Even when I was campaigning, the way I dressed put some people off. This affected my campaign as well so I had to change the way I dressed before I went to villages and communities;


• When I won the election the above negativities or gossips did not stop men and women talking. Even male parliamentarians took part. For example, my postponed trip to Taiwan and other conferences I attended within the country as a representative of ABG almost got me replaced as a Deputy Speaker. Even my attendance of this conference is not going well with some of the male parliamentarians.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, in summation I wish to let you know that in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, women still struggle for recognition of their values, contribution into the economy, for equal opportunities, inclusion and participation in decision making.

Therefore:-

Women need to challenge the oppressive marco status quo. Men need to accept, recognize and respect the labor of women and the product of their labor as a valuable contribution to the life, growth, development progress and prosperity of a nation.

Increasing the number of women in parliament will improve the quality of decisions made. Further more women’s contribution to decisions in parliament will ensure the priorities of half of the population will be reflected in national decisions – allowing the voices of our mothers, aunties, daughters and sisters be heard.
Having women in parliament will provide role models for girls and contribute to a strong nation and lastly I believe that women politicians bring in a voice that has not been heard before in parliament and they bring in a balance.