It's like haggling in a fish market over how many seats women will get in parliament: Samina Lutfa

How women will enter politics, what their fate will be, how many seats they will get, all these matters are being discussed by men. These decisions are being haggled over like in a fish market.

These remarks were made today, Saturday, by Professor Samina Lutfa of the Sociology Department of Dhaka University. She was speaking at a roundtable titled ‘Women’s Seats in the National Parliament and Women’s Political Empowerment’ at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar of the capital. The roundtable was organised by Prothom Alo. Senior correspondent Naznin Akhtar presented the concept paper on women’s seats in parliament.

Expressing little hope from the Consensus Commission, Samina Lutfa said, "When political parties go to the commission meetings and speak, the picture I see is that of a Boys’ Club. Men sit and decide the fate of women. We hear is that if you want 15 seats, we can give 10. Is this haggling at a fish market?" She added, "Men are sitting and deciding how women will enter politics. Nothing could be more ridiculous."

Professor Samina Lutfa noted that political parties in Bangladesh have failed to give women their due respect. She said, “From a human rights perspective, the parties have failed to grasp this. I believe no other historic mistake bigger than this has ever been made by Bangladesh’s political parties. At the same time, everyone together took a dangerously conservative stance, and they will have to bear the responsibility and consequences for this.”

Regarding the delay in responding, the professor said, “When the commission meetings were taking place, we would actually have had to go there and stage a sit-in to protest. Only then would they have been forced to listen to us. But we did not do that.”

The professor emphasised that women students who have risen through this unprecedented uprising must also come forward. She said those who will contest elections must step up for their own rightful place. It must be made clear that women’s issues should not be taken for granted.

Commenting on the Consensus Commission, Samina Lutfa said there was no discussion about the women’s mission report and its proposals. She said, “The government assigned the Women’s Commission to do this work, and they have done it. Afterwards, during the time of the severe attacks on them, the government remained completely silent, proving that in reality, they are not with women. They are aligned with those who want to restrict women’s movement and halt their progress.”

The roundtable was moderated by Shumana Sharmin, Associate Editor of Prothom Alo.

The participants included  Shireen Parveen Huq, head of the Commission on Reforms on Women’s Issues; Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Electoral System Reform Commission; Rasheda K. Choudhury, Executive Director of the Campaign for Popular Education and former adviser to the caretaker government; Fauzia Moslem, president of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad; Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of the Manusher Jonno Foundation; Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD); Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori; Gita Das, chairperson of Naripokkho; Taslima Akhter, president of Garment Workers’ Solidarity; Ilira Dewan, member of the Local Government Reform Commission; and Nazifa Jannat, a key organiser of the July Movement and a student.