Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com
Posted in:
Local News
Written By: Nasser Arrabyee
Article Date: Apr 29, 2008 - 2:30:50 AM
A Yemeni official accused “reactionary forces” of trying to discourage and prevent women from participating in Yemeni public life.
Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, President Saleh’s nephew and chairman of the al-Takadum Forum, said time has come to turn words into actions for women’s political participation.
He called all parties and civil society organizations to do their best to incorporate a new legislation which allocates 15% of decision-making positions to be held by women.
A civil society activist, also working as the head of country’s central security forces, said that the best thing to do is work for making this initiative of giving women 15% quota into legislation a reality.
“There have been attempts from reactionary forces in the society, the ruling party and opposition parties, to abort the president’s initiative,” Yahya Saleh said at a symposium on Sunday, organized by his forum under the slogan Let’s work together to allocate 15% quota for women.
He described the initiative as historic and important not only for women, but for society as a whole.
Last September, President Saleh announced a 10-point initiative for political reforms to allocate 15% quota for women in the parliament. The initiative is still on paper.
The participants in the forum called the ruling party to translate Saleh’s initiative by allocating 15% quota for women in the upcoming governors elections which will take place on May 17, especially because it has the majority in the electorates and the opposition has boycotted.
“It seems that the women will be absent in the governors elections in May as they were absent in the presidential elections,” said Dr. Raufa Hassan, a member of the forum.
Yemeni parties have been talking the talk about the importance of women’s participation, but have yet to walk the walk on Election Day.
The largest opposition party, the Islamist party Islah, still says women can only vote and not run for the posts. It is impermissible for any woman from this party to run.