When it comes to creating space for women in politics, there is bound to be stiff resistance from those who have been wielding that power uncontested. Tradition has come as a big alibi to prevent women from finding even a toehold in politics.
Nowhere is this more visibly demonstrated than in Nagaland where women wish to participate in the municipal elections but are being told that seats cannot be reserved for them because tradition does not allow it.
To circumvent tradition, the government of Nagaland is ostensibly planning to nominate some women to the municipalities. We all know the politics of nomination. Only women who are closely affiliated to political bosses or are political party acolytes will be hand-picked because they will toe the party line or the appointer’s diktat.
Power ruse
This is no empowerment at all. It is another form of enslavement because the women who will be nominated will not be serving the people but guarding the interests of the government in power. Some time ago, the Action Committee on Women’s Reservation in Nagaland (ACWRN) was formed with representatives from the Naga Mothers’ Association, Eastern Naga Women Organisation, Watsu Mongdang and the Naga Women Hoho, Dimapur to ensure that women get their due share of space in politics through the implementation of the Nagaland Municipal First Amendment Act, 2006 and holding of elections for towns and municipalities.
A one-month deadline had been served to the state government of Nagaland to hold the elections, ensuring reservation for women.
But the government refused to act. This compelled the women to move court. A writ petition on behalf of Naga women was filed at Gauhati High Court, Kohima, by two members of the Action Committee by the president and adviser of the NMA. The writ petition was admitted on June 24, 2011 following which a notice was served to the state government and the state election commission returnable in two weeks.
The court order states that “considering the nature of grievance raised, endeavour shall be made to dispose of the matter at the stage of admission hearing”.
Over a hundred women leaders from the NMA, including the Angamimiapfu Krotho, Kyong Eloe Hoho, Sumi Totimi Hoho, Rengma Mothers’ Association, Pochury Mothers’ Association, Chakhesang Mothers’ Association, Zeliangrong Mepui Organisation, Watsu Mongdang, Kuki Women Organisation, Naga Women Hoho, Dimapur, Tenyimia Women Organisation and the Eastern Naga Women Organisation attended the High Court hearing in Kohima.
The hearing on this writ petition was fixed for July 15, 2011. To the credit of Naga women, they were able to rope in noted Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonsalves who is also the director, Human Rights Law Network, to pursue their case. Gonsalves is assisted by two other lawyers from the Supreme Court and advocate A. Azho and three lady lawyers from Nagaland. Finding itself on the wrong foot, the Nagaland government’s counsel sought time to reply to the writ petition up to September.
Rubber stamp
Clearly the government was buying time to amend the municipal act and to bring in the much touted customary laws and tradition that debars women from holding public office, particularly those closest to the people, such as the municipality. But the judge presiding over the case was not amused. In the last hearing it was learnt that he took exception to the delaying tactics of the government.
The judge remarked that the government’s action was, on the face of it, unconstitutional. The government counsel has been asked to file their affidavit and that the case would be disposed of by August 10. Now it appears that the government plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming Assembly session where they will amend the municipal act to allow the government to nominate women councillors. The Naga women see this as a clever attempt by the government to deprive them of the right to contest the municipal elections. It is also a ploy to turn the municipality into another institution that will be packed by camp followers of political parties without a mind of their own.
Basically, they will be rubber stamps of the Neiphiu Rio government! There are several arguments advanced against allowing 33 per cent reservation for women in municipalities.
Many have asked why women want 33 per cent seats in the municipality and why they should not be satisfied with 20 per cent only. The ACWRN have said that their demand is non-negotiable.
Each time, of course, the women were reminded that politics is not their domain according to customary law. But women in Nagaland are not to be cowed down. They have time and again seized the moment to show the male members of their society that they will not take any more rubbish. Over a month ago, a retired registrar of cooperative societies, government of Nagaland, Imtila Jamir, was shot at by her former aide. It appears that the man had joined the NSCN (I-M) and had nursed some grudge against his former employer. He shot at her with an AK-47 but either he was badly trained or was too shaken so the bullets only hit her arm instead.
A 10-member delegation of Naga women recently went to Delhi to meet the NSCN (I-M) leadership. They apprised Isak Swu and T.H. Muivah of their trigger-happy cadres and gave a deadline of one month to find the culprit and hand him over to the women so that they can in turn hand him over to the police. The women delegation was implicit in their demand that the culprit should be dealt with according to the law of the land and not by a kangaroo court.
A meeting to review this was scheduled to be held on Saturday. It is also heartening to note that the Naga women’s delegation have told the NSCN (I-M) leaders that the issue should not be tribalised or communalised. In a state with over 26 tribes, it is easy to turn every conflict into an inter-tribal rivalry. But this time the women have shown maturity and have decided not to let the issue get obfuscated by bringing in tribal differences. They see this attempted murder of a woman as part of the larger atrocity that women in Nagaland face on a daily basis.
Women unsafe
On July 29, the State Commission for Women held a state-level seminar on atrocities against women where Justice H.K. Sema delivered the keynote address. Justice Sema has been the most enlightened Naga who has for innumerable times questioned why Naga society continues to live in the dark ages as far as devolving powers to women is concerned.
At the risk of being called an NSCN baiter or a Naga basher, as some antagonistic readers have called me, I cannot but help join issues with the Naga women in this case. They have raised several pertinent questions, one of which is whether any armed cadre can enter the living room of common citizens and inflict injury or kill a person whose face they do not like. Even the government of Nagaland had recently stated that it would withdraw the official security of the NSCN leaders because the outfit had violated the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The government claims that extortion is still carrying on unabated, despite the ceasefire contract. Also armed cadres who should be moving only within the camps are vitiating the public space. It is ironic that the ceasefire monitoring committee has allowed the NSCN to run riot and to continue with their illegal activities, including collection of money/taxes from all trucks passing through Nagaland and entering Manipur. This is an issue that bothers the women of Nagaland above many others. Lawlessness is intimidating and when there is no rule of law the casualty are women and children. Hence the specific concerns! And we would all agree that the women’s concerns are indeed genuine and need to be addressed at the political level. But where is the political space for them? Time for Naga women to seize the moment!
(The writer can be contacted at patricia17@rediffmail.com)