Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Dr. Fawzia Moslem has said that to advance democracy, one-third of the National Parliament seats should be reserved for women, and direct elections should be held.
Currently, a large number of women have entered politics, but they are nominated to parliament. As a result, they are obedient to their political parties. โToday, our strong demand is that women should be given the opportunity to be elected through direct voting in the national parliamentary elections,โ she said at a rally on Saturday.
Dr. Fawzia Moslem said that attempts are being made to suppress women by showing various threats, but the women who participated in the Liberation War cannot be suppressed by showing any threats. They will remain committed to achieving their rights.
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To drum up support for the cause, Mahila Parishad held a meeting at the Central Shaheed Minar and later brought out a procession to Paltan intersection in the afternoon.
The rally held at 3:30pm was also addressed by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad General Secretary Maleka Banu; Movement Secretary and Belabo District Branch President Rabeya Khatun Shanti; Training, Editor, Research and Library Sub-Council and Narayanganj District Branch President Reena Ahmed; Dhaka Metropolitan Committee General Secretary Rehana Yunus, Central Committee Member and Tongi District Branch President Anwara Begum and Nari Sramik Kendra General Secretary and National Council Member of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Shahida Parvin Shikha. The organisation’s Advocacy and Networking Director Jana Goswami moderated the rally.
Representatives of the Mass Literacy Campaign, Working Women, and Nari Sramik Kendra, leaders of the Central and Dhaka Metropolitan Committees of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, editorial board, organisers of Tongi, Belabo and Narayanganj district branches, officials and journalists of print and electronic media were present at the rally.
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In the president’s speech, Dr. Fawzia Moslem said: โWe are walking the path in search of our own identity. Our struggle for establishing women’s rights in decision-making has been going on since 1972. Now is the time to establish women in the decision-making process. The women’s movement is a movement of society; society is with us and will be with us in the future. We will move forward to achieve our demands with society.โ
Opportunities are needed to advance the backward sections; to empower women politically, political parties should give importance to the demands of the women’s movement, and they should understand the voice of the people.
General Secretary of Mahila Parishad Maleka Banu said increasing reserved seats in the National Parliament and direct elections are our long-standing demands. The victory was ensured through the multifaceted participation of women in the 1971 Liberation War. In an independent country, the Constitution calls for ensuring equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, and equal rights for underprivileged communities, including women.
Calling on political parties to reject the system of nominating women leaders to become members of parliament, she also said that political parties should think about how they will politically empower women and establish equality. Political parties should not just make promises in this regard; they should implement them.
Movement Secretary and Belabo District Branch President Rabeya Khatun Shanti said that Bangladesh Mahila Parishad is working by embracing the ideals of human freedom and universal human rights, and the women’s movement has not been in vain. Today’s decision-making and adoption capacity of women is the fruit of the women’s movement. Today, the humanitarian disaster is at its peak. In such a situation, emphasis should be placed on direct elections along with increasing the number of women’s seats in parliament by one-third to achieve women’s fair share.
Narayanganj District Branch President Reena Ahmed said violence against women has increased, but we do not hear much talk from women MPs about working on these issues. Women MPs have to be given importance in implementing the work according to the election manifesto.
She emphasised the need for the members of the Women’s Commission to strongly present the issue of direct elections to reserved seats for women in the parliament to the government.
Dhaka Metropolitan Committee General Secretary Rehana Yunus said direct elections to reserved seats for women in the national parliament have been a long-standing demand of the Mahila Parishad. In 55 years, the political role of women has not progressed much; equal status has not been established. The country’s political women in the national parliament should not only be elected, but they should also be allowed to work. Women should come forward to establish women’s leadership through direct elections; there is no alternative to this.
Central Committee Member and Tongi District Branch President Anwara Begum said everyone should be made aware of the demand for direct elections to non-reserved seats in the parliament. In the political empowerment of women, emphasis should be placed on developing grassroots women’s leadership. Without the political empowerment of women, it is not possible to implement the political agenda for the welfare of women.
Sahida Parveen Shikha, general secretary of the Women’s Workers’ Centre and national council member of Mahila Parishad, said: “On behalf of working women, I want to say that this is not a fight between men and women; it is a fight for democracy. Democracy is incomplete without the political empowerment of women. We want direct elections, not nominations for reserved seats.”
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