Women, Development and Empowerment: A Pacific Feminist Perspective
Politics
Politics
We believe that the present political system does not allow wide participation, equal representation and collective responsibility. Politics is the system through which decisions affecting our lives and futures are made.
page 115We therefore demand:
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equal participation for women at all levels in the political process and system
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consultative, participatory decision-making
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collective rather than hierarchical decision-making
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consensual rather than confrontational or competitive discussion
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freedom of political self-expression except where this counters human development
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universal suffrage and widest representation in the parliamentary system
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elimination of discriminatory practices in the legal system and in the constitution
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political self-determination for colonised people
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opposing Western political manipulation
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non-aligned policy and recognition of the sovereign right of states to determine their relationships internationally.
The Tribune: IWTC, New York, June 1989