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Il-Kwoti: Bżonn jew le?




Waħda mill-aħħar ideat li qabad jimbotta Joseph Muscat hija li jdaħħal il-kwoti għan-nisa fil-Parlament. L-argument prinċipali tiegħu huwa li jekk ma nagħmlux hekk, nibqgħu b’numru baxx ta’ nisa eletti. Bħallikieku mingħajr il-kwoti, in-nisa mhumiex kapaċi jitilgħu.

Mad-daqqa t’għajn, bħal taħseb li għandu raġun. Għandna numru żgħir ħafna ta’ Membri Parlamentari nisa fil-Parlament, madwar 10%. Dan huwa numru żgħir ħafna, u jitfagħna lura ħafna meta tikkumparana ma’ pajjiżi oħra. Imma huma l-kwoti s-soluzzjoni għal din il-problema?

Il-kwoti ħafna drabi huma neċessarji meta l-poplu, għal raġuni jew oħra, storika, soċjali, preġudizzju, tradizzjoni, iżomm lura milli jivvota lin-nisa. U allura wieħed ibati għal dan l-iżvantaġġ li jkollha mara billi jdaħħal kwota u diskriminazzjoni pożittiva. Iżda f’Malta, għandna din il-problema?

Ħarsa lejn l-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew, li fihom jivvota l-poplu kollu fuq bażi nazzjonali, jurik li le. Fl-aħħar elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew, il-poplu Malta għażel erba’ nisa mis-sitt deputati li kellu jeleġġi. Dan meta l-lista sħiħa ta’ kandidati f’dik l-elezzjoni inkludiet biss 8 nisa u 24 raġel. Li jfisser li nofs il-kandidati nisa ġew eletti, u biss 8% tal-kandidati rġiel ġew eletti.

U allura x’ġara fl-elezzjoni ġenerali li għaddiet? Ħarsa lejn il-lista sħiħa ta’ kandidati turik li kien hemm 281 raġel u 73 mara. U naħseb li hawn qiegħda l-għerq tal-problema. In-numru ta’ nisa li kienu lesti jikkontestaw l-elezzjoni kien baxx ħafna kumparat man-numru ta’ rġiel. Infatti, meta wieħed iħares lejn ir-riżultat ta’ dawk eletti fl-elezzjoni (mingħajr ma nikkunsidraw l-elezzjonijiet każwali), wieħed jara li ġew eletti 19.5% tal-kandidati rġiel u 13.7% tal-kandidati nisa, li jurik li bejn wieħed u ieħor iċ-ċans li tkun elett fl-elezzjoni ma jvarjax b’aktar minn 6% bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel.

Dan juri b’mod ċar li l-poplu Malti ma jagħmilx differenza bejn mara u raġel meta jiġi biex jivvota, imma jħares biss lejn il-kwalitajiet tal-individwi. Il-problema allura ma tissolviex bil-kwoti, imma billi jiġu ppreżentati aktar kandidati nisa. U l-mistoqsija li għandna nagħmlu hija “għalfejn in-nisa qed joqogħdu lura milli jikkontestaw l-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Malti, u x’nistgħu nagħmlu biex inħajruhom aktar?”

L-ewwelnett, naħseb li l-mod kif jopera l-Parlament Malti xejn mhu favorevoli għall-familja. Mela jekk irridu naraw aktar nisa jikkontestaw l-elezzjoni, għandna naraw li din tinbidel. Għandha tiġi offruta l-possibilità li x-xogħol ta’ Deputat isir fuq bażi full-time b’paga adegwata. Għandu wkoll jitranġa l-ħin li fih jiltaqa’ l-Parlament, mis-sitta sad-disgħa jew l-għaxra ta’ filgħaxija mhux l-aħjar ħin għal xi ħadd li għandu familja.

U l-Gvern għandu jmexxi bl-eżempju. Fejn il-Gvern kellu l-għażla, ma għamel xejn. Ir-rappreżentanza tan-nisa fil-Bordijiet maħtura mill-Gvern mill-2013 ‘l hawn niżlet għal taħt it-30%. Fejn jidħol il-gender pay gap ukoll morna lura mill-2013 ‘l hawn: l-istatistika qed turina li f’Malta mara taqla’ madwar 11% inqas minn raġel għall-istess xogħol. U anke meta wieħed jara l-ammont ta’ nisa ppreżentati bħala kandidati fl-aħħar elezzjoni: il-Partit Nazzjonalista kellu 25% tal-kandidati li kienu nisa, il-Partit Laburista kellu inqas minn 16%. U dan meta suppost huwa l-“aktar Gvern femminista”.

Mela allura, is-soluzzjoni mihix il-kwoti. Is-soluzzjoni hija li l-Partiti jippreżentaw kandidatura iktar għolja ta’ nisa, u biex dan isir u aktar nisa jkunu lesti jservu fil-politika, irridu naraw li noperaw Parlament aktar family-friendly, li tkun ħaġa tajba mhux biss għan-nisa imma anke għall-irġiel, u li fejn il-Gvern għandu l-għażla u jaħtar il-Bordijiet hu, jara li jkun aktar bilanċjat fil-ħatriet tiegħu. Imbagħad jekk wara li jsir dan u nindirizzaw l-għerq tal-problema naraw li xorta qed nibqgħu lura fir-rappreżentanza femminili fil-Parlament, imbagħad forsi wieħed jibda jikkunsidra l-kwoti.

Imma jien konvint li jekk jiġu indirizzati dawn il-problemi, il-kwoti ma jkollniex bżonnhom. Għax ir-riżultati ta’ elezzjonijiet oħra f’pajjiżna juru li l-elettorat Malti mhux preġudikat bejn in-nisa u l-irġiel, u li n-nisa Maltin huma kapaċi daqs kull raġel biex jiġu eletti.



Dan l-artiklu deher f'In-Nazzjon tal-Erbgħa 14 ta' Marzu 2018.

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