<STRONG>Comment posted on the editorial <A href="http://www.lexpress.mu/story/10599-home-truths.html" target=_blank>‘Home truths’</A>.</STRONG>

To my mind, the debate about women’s greater participation in the affairs of their country has just begun, initiated by the International Women’s Day and by the coming general elections.  Talking about a bitter after-taste only gives the impression that all about the subject has been said and done with, which is far from the fact.

 The campaign about the one third of seats started months away the information had to reach the population the real actors, meaning the women politicians, had to get their bearing, and before all this, the thinking and planning of certain activities, all had begun so much further ahead.  All this is a long process.  The fact is that any major change follows the tract laid there by contemporary events.  And what if we created the events, for once?

There is no place for pessimism either: the dangers are there, the ‘alibi’ woman politician put there to act on the bids and calls of the men behind who lead her as a puppet.  But one step at a time, let us just get there first, before starting to worry about what might or might not happen.  This is a hard battle, there will be challenges at every turn but we won’t get anywhere until and unless the first steps are taken.  We should also stop worrying about the failure of similar measures in other countries.   Come to think of it, we might indeed be the unique country!   We certainly have little in common with other African countries, so there is little point in feeling defeated by other countries experiences.

The argument about society not developing a political culture where women could find integration, should not keep us from action.  This culture of keeping women away from politics, from decision-making instances, from liberation and independence, has always been there, weakened though here and there by events no one could stop.  It is this weakening that has allowed for certain actions in women’s favour to be carried out.  I feel we are, right now, through one of those rare moments of transition where things could be achieved.  So why should we not make the most of them? 

What, for instance, if we readily embrace the sayings of our righteous ancestors, who proclaimed: “come tide or hail, you will not be discouraged?  Move forward unheeded by obstacles?”  What about:  “It is all yours for the taking?”.  Of course, these pearls of wisdom had been reserved, in a sexist spirit, to their boys.  But times have changed and we girls feel we have the right to the same regards. 

Some might think all this is the babble of someone living in a fool’s paradise.  But, some would argue that it is ‘dreams’ in the first instance, that spur on concrete actions and bring about change.  If humanity had not dreamt, it would still be in the shackles of “animality”.

Anjani Murdan