Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Saturday 29 March 2014

Nothing But Despair ?



Do forthcoming Lok Sabha elections hold anything but despair for the women of India  ?


Unfortunate , but I don't think so


Optimists may want to look at the following statistics  :


Lok Sabha of  /  No of Women Contestants  /  Winners  /  Percentage



>    1957   /   45   /   27   /      60 %

>    1967   /   67   /   30   /      45  %

>    1980   /   142   /   28   /    20  %

>    1998   /   274   /   43   /    16  %

>    1999   /   296   /   52   /    17  %

>    2004   /   355   /   45   /    13 %

>    2009   /   556   /   59   /    10 %

>    2014   ?   600  ?   60  ?     10  %  ?



My reasons for despair  :


>  Even though marginally more number of women may contest in 2014 ,
    the percentage of women winners may either remain same or decline


>  Apparently - and sadly - women voters ( nearly 400+ million ) will
    continue to vote for male candidates


>  With a male-dominated Lok Sabha , Women's Reservation Bill , which is
    pending for the past 40 years , will continue to remain pending for next
    40 years


>  With 11 % women in Lok Sabha , India ranks 111th out of 185 countries
    when it comes to women representation in parliaments of these countries


>  Criminalization of politics will continue as before , despite the fact that ,in
    the current Lok Sabha , only 6 women MPs have " Criminal Cases "
    pending against them , as against 161 male MPs who have such a
    reputation  !



Is there any hope  ?



Yes ,


>  If all women members of 7 National level and 34 Regional level political
     parties resign en-masse from their current parties and come together to
     form WAR ( Women And Rights ) party


>  Accept only women as members of this WAR party


>  Put up women candidates for all 543 Lok Sabha seats ( too late for 2014 )


>  Persuade women voters not to vote for any male candidate



WOMEN  OF  INDIA ,



If you think , by some magic , male-dominated Lok Sabha will hand-over to
you  EQUALITY  on a platter , then forget it


You are fooling no one but yourself   !


Don't expect the males to gift you , your RIGHTS


You will need to forcefully snatch away what is rightfully , yours  !


Empower  Yourself  !





Stop self - pity and ask yourself,


" How come a developing African country like RWANDA , has 60 % members of its parliament ,
women  ? "






*   hemen  parekh   ( 30  March  2014  /  Mumbai  )

No comments:

Post a Comment