Sano Vamuzo
In Nagaland, the need for women’s reservation would not arise had there been true Christian spirit and true democracy. But unfortunately, these have been mere theoretical principles. Hence, the need for reservation or quota has come up as a measure to ensure women’s participation in decision making bodies.
Ours being a patriarchal society, the men dominate and make all the decisions, including the ones for women who form half of the total population. This means that their voices are not represented, and they are left out with their potentialities left untapped, i.e., starting from Village Councils up to the Municipal Councils.
The much talked about 33 percent reservation is basically meant for upliftment of the weaker sections of the society like any reservation or quota, for e.g., quotas for backward tribe, scheduled tribes, Indigenous tribes, DUDA, etc. Reservation is only a temporary measure. Once the women in the society are uplifted and have reached a certain level of compatibility with men in sharing responsibilities, the quota can be removed as in the case of backward quotas, of which the backward tribes are beneficiaries.
In NPSC exams, Nagas from any tribe are allowed to appear, but until the backward tribe candidates are able to compete with the advanced tribe candidates, they need a specific percentage of reservation to help them tide over their backwardness. Hence, this is only a temporary arrangement. Likewise, in any municipal election or Nagaland Assembly elections, women folk can also contest, as rightly pointed out by some people. But unless we give them some reservation, they cannot compete with their counterparts at present.
The difficulties women face in gaining entry into male-dominated political arena continues due to various reasons. And there is a serious question as to why, till today Naga women are not represented in the State Assembly and Parliament (with the exception of Rano Mese Shaiza in 1977, Lok Sabha) although Nagaland State is reaching 50 years of statehood.
Coming back to the lower rungs of political participation of women, there was agreement on the need for reservations for women in local bodies so as to protect the interest of rural women and poor women. In India, the first round of elections to the panchayats was held in 1995 where nearly one million women crossed the threshold of political institutions and local self government.
One should not misunderstand the objective of reservation – this 33 percent will not infringe upon the basic rights of men in our society. Even though the existing Naga customary law is gender biased in favour of the men folk, the proposed 33 percent reservation in Nagaland is in no way going to challenge or change the existing customary law on property rights, inheritance, etc.
It is not to take away the power from men, but to give women a chance to participate and share the leadership responsibilities as partners in decision making.
There are public issues such as health, education, economy, etc., in which women are directly or indirectly involved in managing and giving serious attention by taking steps to improve the situation, whether they are empowered or not.
The Government is trying its best to uplift the people everywhere by sending huge amounts of money meant for the rural areas. But so far we observe a very slow progress because half the population is kept in total darkness.
In the recently published Public Commission of India report (Nagaland Post, March 26, 2012), we have seen that Nagaland has the highest rise in poverty level in India. This speaks of the fact that Naga women, who are the backbone of the Naga economy, have been completely left out.
Every man wants a strong and educated lady in our society. They also want literate and capable mothers to bring up their children. At present, unfortunately Nagas have only few such women. The 33 percent reservation will therefore, definitely uplift the Naga women and children in general, who in turn can significantly contribute to the society.
Some have said that the majority in Nagaland are opposed to the 33 percent reservation and even the highest decision making body in Nagaland, i.e., the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has backtracked in their own commitment. When a house consisting of only men has passed such a resolution concerning the welfare of womenfolk, we cannot expect a positive outcome.
In a society, women cannot decide on the welfare of men. Likewise, men cannot decide the fate of women. Hence, decision making body consisting of only men who comprise of only 50 percent of the population cannot be taken as the decision of the people. The body should comprise of both genders to make it comprehensive and more efficient, because a society can never become a developed society without the support from the womenfolk.
This reservation for women would ensure a significant presence, enabling them to act as an important pressure group. The presence of a critical mass of women would lighten the sense of responsibility among women, ensuring that their interests would be adequately represented.
The Bible requires all Christians to pursue relationships of mutual submission and of reciprocal servanthood. As Christians we are to partner with and complement each other in building a society that honours this principle, and to recognize our divine mandate from God as responsible stewards of His creation.
Regardless of our arguments and debates, we will continue to live with each other. If we mean to develop our society, it would only be wise then, that rather than fighting, we help and build up each other for a better future of our people and the coming generations.
In conclusion, it is pertinent to mention here that men often refer to their wives as their “better half,” and in this case, it would be congruent to say that 33 percent reservation is not even asking for half, but only a third for them who are called the better half of the population.
(Sano Vamuzo is the Chairperson of Nagaland State Commission for Women)
