BANGKOK POST
Despite an edict of ‘fair’ ratios of men and women candidates, no parties toe the line.
Yingluck Shinawatra’s first foray into politics and her effort to break the glass ceiling by contesting the post of prime minister, has barely generated a ripple of excitement among women’s rights advocates.
The reason is political. The ties between Ms Yingluck and her brother – ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – invoke deep-rooted sentiments that divide Thai society.
And despite the fact that the country now has its first woman running for prime minister, gender equality in Thai politics is still less than impressive and has a long way to go.
The 2011 election-related organic laws require that every political party has to give due consideration to an “appropriate ratio” between and equal opportunities for men and women candidates. However, the laws do not stipulate a ratio that would be considered fair.
According to Women Reshaping Thailand (WREST), an alliance comprised of long-time and well-known women’s rights activists, the five largest political parties, all of which have nominated the full quota of 125 candidates for their party lists, have failed to uphold a fair ratio of men and women candidates.
The organisation stated women accounted for less than 40% of all the five groups’ party lists, and most of them had far fewer than that.
If the top 50 slots on each party’s list are counted – the higher the ranking, the better the chance of being elected – the best ratio drops to a mere 25%, the group noted.
Chat Pattana Puea Pandin Party has the most women on its party list: 49 – or 39% of the candidates. It is followed by Bhumjaithai with 33 (or 26% of its party-list candidates), Pheu Thai with 20 (16%) and Chatthaipattana 19 (15%). The Democrats have the worst showing with only 14 women on its party-list slate (11%).
As for the first 50 ranks in the party-list, Chart Pattana Puea Pandin has nine women – or 18% of its top 50; Bhumjaithai has 8 (16%); Pheu Thai, 11 (22%); Chatthaipattana, 6 (12%); and the Democrats, five (10%).
The organisation noted that smaller parties which had not fielded 125 party list candidates had even worse women representation than the top five.
The WREST network held a debate among its core members on the issue last week and proposed that women, who account for 51% of the population, play a bigger role in politics and have a chance to serve in high, decision-making positions including that of prime minister, house speaker and cabinet members.
Sutada Mekrungruengkul, WREST coordinator, said women’s rights advocates in principle supported having better representation of women in politics. She said more women lawmakers in parliament would lead to policies that address women’s economic and social issues and promote their place in households and in workplaces.
Ms Yingluck’s prime ministerial candidacy is a step forward but it’s just one aspect of the battle for gender equality. Women’s rights advocates and female voters in general have to consider a number of other issues as well.
It’s not just having a woman as candidate for prime minister but whether the party’s policies – on the economy, national reconciliation and amnesty for politically banned politicians – will provide answers to the country’s multifaceted problems, said Ms Sutada, who is also director of the Gender and Development Research Institute.
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