Women's quotas may do more harm than good
We all want greater women's representation in the political process. But it is not clear that quotas are the best way to achieve this noble goal.
I was astonished to see that the same youths who fought against quotas and brought down a dictator are now demanding quotas. For women. In the highest institution of the country. Truly unfortunate!
You are young. Let me tell you a few things. Today, this might sound like an unsolicited prophecy. Thirty years from now, I may not be here. You can verify it then.
Women’s quotas in parliament will push women further away from politics. You will find a group of women in parliament who are disconnected from the people and entitled. They won’t address the problems of Bangladesh’s people, but will try to implement the philosophies they’ve read in English books. Yes! You will get a group of incompetent women in parliament. They will speak peculiar feel-good rhetoric and consider their class’s problems as the country’s problems.
Remember one thing. In this world, when an individual does a favour for another adult in the name of God, both the giver and the receiver benefit. Both consider the arrangement temporary, and thus the “favour” achieves its fullness. But when an institution (like the government) does a favour for an adult with the best intentions, the recipient never sees it as a favour. They see it as a “right.” This favour only breeds unwarranted arrogance and resentment.
Yes! You will get a group of women in parliament who will most passionately hate politics. They will despise the very system that brought them there. You can write this down.
You fail to realize that where a male candidate has toiled for 15 years -- whether from BNP or Jamaat -- that same seat will be handed to his wife or daughter in nominations. Maybe not this time, but the next. And that housewife will defeat you and go to parliament. The authority will remain with the male politician, while the responsibility will fall on his wife or daughter. A recipe for disaster.
What you don’t deserve but receive through a system’s cunning only increases division in society. Female MPs will be most passionately dismissed as incompetent. You might think that contesting reserved seats will prevent people from seeing you as undeserving. No! You will be like mango-garnished milk and rice. Affirmative action never yields the results it was intended for.
No matter how much you criticize a male politician, he works tirelessly, sweating blood. Think of Tarique Rahman. He hasn’t yet entered parliament, but for nearly 30 years, he has toiled relentlessly. This is 100% true, and perhaps this time he will finally make it to parliament.
If you achieve the same just for being a woman, do you think your colleagues will respect you? No.
You are caught up in a destructive endeavour. It’s our misfortune that, in the hope of votes, all parties are endorsing this destructive act. There isn’t a single person who has objected to this glaringly wrong move.
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