PNG’s parliament has very few women MPs.
Photo: Loop PNG / Screencapture
A new law in Papua New Guinea, requiring a political parties to meet a quota for fielding women candidates, is being described as a step in the right direction, but maybe not far enough.
The new elections rule that women must make up ten percent of parties’ endorsed candidates was recently announced by Pang’s Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission.
The law is an affirmative action aimed at trying to address the chronic lack of women as elected representatives in the country.
There are currently three women MPs in PNG’s 111-seat parliament. Since the country gained independence 50 years ago, only 10 women have been MPs.
Persistent cultural norms continue to disadvantage women, but attitudes are slowly changing.
Yet to be tested
A PNG academic specialising in gender equity in governance, Dr Orovu Sepoe, who is also a former chair of the Commission, said parliament passed the law but it’s yet to be tested.
“We’ll wait and see how it turns out in the 2027 election. As an affirmative direction, it’s good, but could have been thought out carefully,” she said.
“There are other issues. How many political parties will actually actively seek out women candidates? They’re not very good at doing that for women candidates in the PNG context.”
Dr Sepoe said that the law’s compliance measures could mean it has limited impact.
The penalties for parties who fail the quota in consecutive elections are de-registration and a fine of 5000 kina, which she admitted was “peanuts” for the main political parties.
“There is a catch here that I thought might present challenges because the penalties will only apply after two consecutive elections, rather than just one, rather than straight away,” she said, noting that a general election takes place only every five years.
Dr Orovu Sepoe
Photo: PNG Council of Churches
Party leaders
People’s Reform Party leader and East Sepik governor Allan Bird said the rule was a good idea, indicating the main parties should have no trouble complying.
“I think everyone complies, all the political parties comply. In the case of my party, we’re running about thirty candidates, and so three of those will definitely be women, in order to comply,” Bird said.
Social Democratic Party leader Powes Parkop also said his party would meet, if not exceed, the threshold.
Parkop, who is also chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, described the rule as a positive discrimination measure, saying it was a welcome step, even if temporary.
“We need to take all steps necessary towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, and more importantly, creating a environment by which we can overcome all the barriers that impede women from having a equal playing field to be able to contest with everybody else, men especially, to have a chance to be elected to national parliament,” he said.
Rai Coast MP Kessy Sawang is the highest ranking woman MP in the current PNG parliament as Minister of Labour
Photo: The United Nations Compensation Commission
Parkop said whether other parties follow the rule will depend on their selection processes, acknowledging that women are disadvantaged at every level of the political process.
“The reality in PNG is that everything is tough against women in PNG, especially having access to resources, financial resources, is hard for them, and culturally they are not seen as leaders, or traditionally not playing that leadership role.”
Unfinished business
PNG’s parliament has grappled with affirmative action on gender equality in politics before.
Back in 2011, a proposal to create 22 reserved seats for women in the Haus Tambaran gained limited support among PNG’s ‘big men’ of politics, and subsequent other attempts got nowhere.
“It is still an unfinished agenda, as far as I’m concerned, at the moment,” Dr Sepoe said.
“In the recent past, we’ve not had the political will to make it come into effect, so that’s where we are now.
“There have been talks, there have been conversations, discussions about doing a lot more, but we’re only a year away from the election, and how much time do we have to bring any substantive changes for special seats in parliament?”
020514. Photo RNZ. Papua New Guinea.
Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
In the past two general elections in PNG, women made up only around five percent of overall candidates. The fact that it resulted in less than three percent of MPs elected being women is telling.
This new quota rule may be a small step, but in PNG any step towards addressing the gender imbalance in parliament is better than nothing.
Parkop said the ove may not change the entire dynamics, but it is a step in the right direction.
“And that’s what PNG needs. We need to create a step by which we can enable women to have an opportunity to be elected.”
