Cautious support for all-women party

Discussions about forming an all-women political party in Fiji have drawn cautious support from Opposition MP Premila Kumar and Fiji Women's Crisis Centre coordinator Shamima Ali, but both say the road to Parliament for women remains steep.

The reactions came after activist Judy Compain posted on social media over the weekend that a group had discussed forming an all-women political party whose sole promise would be to "just get things done".

Ms Kumar said the idea was not a bad one, but pointed to sobering figures from the 2022 General Election.

"Only 55 women out of 316 candidates stood for election," she said.

"Out of 55, only five women made it into Parliament."

She said the bigger challenge was that even when women stood for election, they did not receive enough votes, despite more women turning out to vote than men in 2022.

"It’s a clear indication that if one is relying on women to vote for women, it's not going to happen, because this is what the statistics tell us," Ms Kumar said.

She nonetheless encouraged women to step forward, saying those with conviction and a desire to improve people's lives should approach a political party and contest elections.

FWCC response

Ms Ali said she would support an all-women party in principle, but cautioned against rushing the idea.

"It can't be just a reaction," she said.

"It has to be well thought out, well discussed and there has to be a manifesto that is people-centred and respects human rights."

She said the biggest barrier to women entering politics remained patriarchy, including the financial disadvantages women faced when campaigning.

"Women don't have the economic power, they don't have the finances to campaign in the same way men do," Ms Ali said.

She called for temporary special measures, such as reserved seats, to help build a critical mass of women in leadership.

Currently, only five women sit in Fiji's 55-seat Parliament.