random quotes | wip 2006

Francesca Semoso: I was involved in the formulation of the reserve seats for women on Bougainville. When we started we asked for 12 seats and the men asked what the hell do you want 12 seats for women for? That was the language that they used. And in negotiation they wanted to cut it back to nothing and I said that there better be at least three seats or I’m going to burn this house down!

Beatrice Vernaudon: Pacific Parliamentarians Association? Is this not a network we should be working in order to promote our cause while at the same time reassure some people including the men who I thought might be present at this meeting.

Samantha Hung: I think you might be referring to FPOCC Forum Island Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference and the recommendations from this forum will be going to this meeting. The chair is currently in the Cook Islands and that is why we are here at this meeting and trying to feed into that meeting.

Maire Bopp Dupont: Women are more sensitive to social issues and that makes them better at speaking for the people. That is the theory and is that the myth? It would be nice to have an inventory, to ask if that is what women really do when they are in power. When this law on parity came about a lot of women questioned whether women have not the right but the capacity. This showed me that people who enter a certain level of power want to keep a certain status quo. There was a discussion as to whether a woman can enter politics just like that? It was quite amazing because no one questioned the men!