Maayta: Parties Should Ensure Women's Political Representation
Jul 21, 2022
Al-Maayta : Women must present themselves as actors, participants, and activists in party work.
Al-Maayta : We have to get out of the theory of number and ratio to the active role of women partisanship.
Al-Maayta : Women should invest in a politically supportive climate.
The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission, Eng. Musa Al-Maayta, sponsored today in Irbid Governorate the activities of the National Conference organized by Al-Hayat Center - RASED in cooperation with the Irbid Chamber of Commerce and Alyanza and with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation under the title: "The Role of Parties in Ensuring the Representation of Women's Political Participation" within the project "Women Support Democracy".
In his speech at the conference, Al-Maayta said that the process of political modernization, which recently produced advanced laws for it, has directly targeted women, and this stems from the royal keenness to empower women and give them equal opportunities, as partisans, voters and candidates, and in senior leadership positions, Jordanian women are no longer tested; rather, they have achieved achievements as they exist, and today they have the right to develop their careers, and seek to go beyond the stage of numbers as they were previously seen, to become their political participation in addition to Quantity, and this is what we must discuss today by removing political, social and economic obstacles to become in the position that deserves and which contributes to the renaissance of national collective action.
He also pointed out that the basis today is no longer to redefine and clarify the role of women in political work, as public slogans have become known to all, and the slogan of women half of society and other slogans has become consumed, which obliges us to talk today in practical language about training, rehabilitation, empowerment of women and the need for equal opportunities for all; this is what we all seek today.
Al-Maayta stressed the role of parties in empowering women as a pivotal role, guaranteed first by the legislation regulating it, and the application remains a shared responsibility, between the parties in the application of what is stated in the law in the presence of (20%) of the founders of women as a minimum, and in activating their role, and getting out of the theory of number and ratio to the active role, and the inclusion of the party's program its vision for the empowerment of women, and the export of women party leaders that encourage Jordanian women to join and participate, and that women themselves have an important role today in the initiative. Not to wait for the masculine manna, but to present itself as an actor, participant, and activist in party work.
Al-Maayta added that what Jordanian women have obtained in modernizing the political system recently to achieve pride in nations, so adding the word Jordanian women to the constitution was an achievement that respects, and the requirement of its proportion and distribution in advanced roles in parties and electoral lists to enhance the utmost importance of their role in political life, which pushes Jordanian women to adopt their national responsibilities and invest in this supportive climate and stay away from the frustrated, and to be partners in progress and prosperity; to reach the national identity that integrates everyone into citizenship. Effective, based on the rule of law, in application of the solid democracy pursued by Jordan in a strong and independent national integrity system.
Al-Maayta praised the efforts exerted by Al-Hayat Center - RASED in raising awareness of the importance of political participation, pointing out at the same time that the ball today is in the court of the woman herself, the will adopted by His Majesty the King directly is a supportive will, and the updated laws have done justice to her, examined in parties and elections as a minimum; the upper limit depends on her and on her willingness to participate, and it is the role of all of us to raise awareness and train them as partners in political modernization and in the achievement we want.
For his part, the Director General of Al-Hayat Center Rased, Dr. Amer Bani Amer, said that the most important role today has become for parties in supporting women's political participation through the introduction of programs that enhance their political role and support their presence within the parties by giving them their role that achieves their progress within the parties to be partners in progress and construction, Bani Amer added that the responsibility in ensuring women's representation in partisanship and politics can not only be placed on parties, but it is a shared responsibility of everyone, especially parties and women. Itself, the Independent Electoral Commission, civil society institutions and all actors, Bani Amer said that there must be an active role for the private sector through participation in and support for parties.
During the dialogue session included in the conference and moderated by Mr. Jamal Al-Raqqad, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Ali Al-Khawalda, said that the legislation governing political work has become harmonious and interrelated, and Al-Khawalda said that the main indicator of political development is the participation of women in political life in general and partisanship in particular, and added that the current legislation does not pose a challenge to women's political participation but there are various challenges, including what is cultural, social and economic, and stressed the need for The party's platforms should be in line with women's priorities during the coming period so that women can express themselves through parties, and parties today are demanding that they reach women in various positions.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Shannaq pointed out the need to see programmatic parties through the integration of women, because of the importance of this in enhancing their role as partisans, and pointed out that individual work will not contribute to the march of political modernization, and today it is necessary to recrystallize political frameworks capable of party collective work based on programs and verify the integration of all groups within the parties, which will reflect on the comprehensiveness of programs and their compatibility with national priorities.
Dr. Reem Abu Dalbouh said that women's political participation and party representation is based on a set of principles, the most important of which are royal directives, the societal desire to promote women's participation, and the consistency and gradual linkage between political legislation, adding that the Royal Commission has addressed gaps in previous laws that limit women's political participation.
Mr. Obeida Faragalla spoke that party work has regained its luster after the outputs of the Royal Commission and the adoption of laws related to political work, especially since the Law of Parties created an important situation and contributes to giving hope to everyone to practice party work without restrictions, and Faragalla stressed that women will not take positions within parties except through competition with everyone, and that it is the party program that enhances the presence of women in parties.
