I may receive much criticism for the posting that follows. I strictly base this writing on what I consider is my understanding of the subject; what I have witnessed from my briefest of contact with real rural India and which I have debated with myself a million times.
33% reservation for women!!!!!!!!
This has been taken up as the call of the hour the need of our times……I say why not…..
QUESTION:
Women have always wanted EQUALITY in our society; so why now this 33% reservation……….
THE REALITY:
EQUALITY has for long been the passion of women’s movement worldwide; just like other how everyone who is socially conscious longs for peaceful, just, equal world.
But is this so in the real context. What we long for needs time for achievement.
But progressive aspects like “EQUALITY” happen only when De Jure and De Facto fall on similar planes …………
In reality women lack equal footing in many cases, this 33% would be a boost towards achieving a push forward. Also women Panchayat leaders are looking forward to progress the political ladder.
This 33% can boost them towards equity.....
QUESTION:
There are (8 %) women in the parliament; what have they achieved till now……
THE REALITY:
There are 92% men in the parliament:
The country’s spending towards public health is less than 1 % GDP
India has slipped 2 places down in HDI and ranks 128
There is no decrease in our crime rates......
Poverty and issues are still the same........
We have had so many politicians till date what have they achieved so meaningfully till date…..
QUESTION:
We have had women PM’s, CM’s and many other parliamentarians in the past, they could do that without reservation why not everyone else
THE REALITY:
Not everyone is equipped with the class, caste or contacts to become CM’s and PM’s…… There are examples of singular women achieving the status of CM’s and PM’s but by equipping women from marginalized and disadvantaged communities with political power the options are favorable and feasible with regard to women’s empowerment (In its true sense….)
Also by empowering more women we can set more examples than rely on only 4 or 5 examples from our past and present…..
QUESTION:
Women will remain as MP’s for namesake only…..
THE REALITY:
How many men MP’s function their roles independently, There are numerous examples where Male politicians act as NAMESAKE;
In conclusion…
33 % will be a stepping stone to many,
It will be the starting point of change,
It can act as the change that we seek,
By altering our power structures and making it more inclusive, we are inviting change,,,,, this is not “The Solution” but this is probably the right catalyst towards equitable social change…..
BY PROMOTING EQUITY WE ARE PROGRESSING TOWARDS EQUALITY….
33% reservation for women!!!!!!!!
This has been taken up as the call of the hour the need of our times……I say why not…..
QUESTION:
Women have always wanted EQUALITY in our society; so why now this 33% reservation……….
THE REALITY:
EQUALITY has for long been the passion of women’s movement worldwide; just like other how everyone who is socially conscious longs for peaceful, just, equal world.
But is this so in the real context. What we long for needs time for achievement.
But progressive aspects like “EQUALITY” happen only when De Jure and De Facto fall on similar planes …………
In reality women lack equal footing in many cases, this 33% would be a boost towards achieving a push forward. Also women Panchayat leaders are looking forward to progress the political ladder.
This 33% can boost them towards equity.....
QUESTION:
There are (8 %) women in the parliament; what have they achieved till now……
THE REALITY:
There are 92% men in the parliament:
The country’s spending towards public health is less than 1 % GDP
India has slipped 2 places down in HDI and ranks 128
There is no decrease in our crime rates......
Poverty and issues are still the same........
We have had so many politicians till date what have they achieved so meaningfully till date…..
QUESTION:
We have had women PM’s, CM’s and many other parliamentarians in the past, they could do that without reservation why not everyone else
THE REALITY:
Not everyone is equipped with the class, caste or contacts to become CM’s and PM’s…… There are examples of singular women achieving the status of CM’s and PM’s but by equipping women from marginalized and disadvantaged communities with political power the options are favorable and feasible with regard to women’s empowerment (In its true sense….)
Also by empowering more women we can set more examples than rely on only 4 or 5 examples from our past and present…..
QUESTION:
Women will remain as MP’s for namesake only…..
THE REALITY:
How many men MP’s function their roles independently, There are numerous examples where Male politicians act as NAMESAKE;
In conclusion…
33 % will be a stepping stone to many,
It will be the starting point of change,
It can act as the change that we seek,
By altering our power structures and making it more inclusive, we are inviting change,,,,, this is not “The Solution” but this is probably the right catalyst towards equitable social change…..
BY PROMOTING EQUITY WE ARE PROGRESSING TOWARDS EQUALITY….
Comments
What they fail to see is the holistic scenario... where millions suffer despite reservations.
Especially this reservation for women has been delayed for over 15 years just because those who have enjoyed power do not want to SHARE it...
If you ask a question "are the women MPs functioning? What can they do?"... it can be the most shameful question because it means WE have not given women their DUE opportunity to participate in politics...that they don't even recognise certain opportunities exist which men have enjoyed forever...
All we ask is, give women THEIR chance...opportunity...right...
We are sick of your number games....
The majority of the MALE politicians during all times in HIStory have also played an active role in corruption and acted as a passive spectators to injustices of the most horrbile kind.
Majority of the MALE politicians of our day are also hold signatory posts with the power to do nothing but "sign papers for fixed rates" and act as nothing more than "rubber stamp or namesake politicians."
It is very unfair to call women leaders as mere puppets when a majority of the "MALE" in our world today remain spineless puppets dancing and changing to the tunes to suit their selfish needs!!!!!
I would like to add to your statements that India is much more than urban elite and most times your views seem to completely disregard the greater sections of our society !!!!!!!
There's no SUGGESTION whatsoever to ensure that these positions of power that men hold, go to those worthy of it.
But... when it comes to 33% reservation, there comes a huge cry saying women are puppets, they do nhing and steps should be taken by the government etc etc etc...
don't you think its mere patriarchy? So 33% seat,when reserved for women...you attach all these criteria that'd only be a WALL that would prevent women from taking their due positions for some more DECADES.
and to quote a FEW FEW FEW women in power and say "see? even women can come up without reservation. but look at what they've done to this country?" is a SHALLOW thought!
Only when you let someone get into the water can they learn to swim... noone can learn to swim from the shore... let women get into the water first...
Just by announcing one day "all are equal" equality does not come into practice.... we need to work towards attaining that EQUALITY ... when people are by sex, by caste, by class, by religion disadvantaged it is useless to argue "all are equal", "all are equal"....
firstly acknowledge the discriminations / disadvantages before passing judgmental comments that "women want it easy". (women in our country had to fight hard battles for whatever little space , rights we enjoy as well as what we have been able to reclaim)...
Women in our country are doubly disadvantaged in any context.... This is a FACT... the reality.... acknowledge it... then work towards promoting equity before you even start talking about equality......
When men and women are not DISADVANTAGED equally, you want men and women to COMPETE equally! How pathetic!!!
I keep giving simple examples just to get it across easily- We are talking about a race - when rules are different for the competitors, when certain rules curtail the very rights and ability of the competitors, can you call the race a equal one?
you have cut the legs of one runner...[through past discriminations] now, you want her to hop with one leg [through current systems and laws] and reach the goal while the other runner has been sitting on the cushion for so long and just needs to walk slowly to win the race?
it is not just for women i am talking about..it is for the other disadvantaged people as well...be it dalits, tribals or disabled. All you keep talking is of the life of a city boy...who says no discrimination exists in the current society. We are screaming of discrimination happening to few.. what about that hich is happening to the majority? Life in other parts of India are so different. Even today in Tamil Nadu Dalits are beaten up for walking on road meant for upper castes. Dalit children are not allowed to study in schools. Dalit women are raped and their cases are not even filed in police stations just because those in POWER are UPPER CASTE. When there's no opportunity for them to even study, how the hell do you expect them to compete for positions???? these are facts not arguments put forth just like those happening in urban media which is represented by those who have been advantageous in their lives than 90% Indians...
I do not deny there's a gap in the current system which is disadvantageous to economically poor who belong to forward caste. BUT... unless you evolve a better system to ENSURE the rights of other marginalised, don't talk of removing reservations.