The lone woman minister in Conrad Sangma’s MDA 2.0 government, Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, on the eve of International Women’s Day, voiced her thoughts on women’s participation in politics, emphasizing the challenges they face and the need for change. She emphasized the need for greater support from men in promoting female leadership but pointed out that many remain hesitant to share political space with women.
“Women don’t even want to dabble with politics. Very few women want to cross that line and say, it’s okay when everybody scrutinizes me. They want to live in their comfort zones, they don’t like to take that decision,” she remarked.
Talking exclusively to Meghalaya News 24, Dr Lyngdoh, pointed out that men should play a supportive role, stating, “Men should be supportive of women as candidates. The problem here is that men also don’t want women to come in. But whether you like it or not, the women reservation policy is knocking on the horizon, very near to us. By force, if the law is passed in Parliament, you will automatically have 33% women reservation in all houses. But should women wait for that reservation? Or should women just rise and be strong?”
She noted the increasing number of women contesting elections, adding, “There are far more women representatives in every coming year in all elections than before. Women are coming forward, and they’re really hardworking, very hardworking. And I appreciate women candidates because 99.9 percent of them have won out of their own hard work, not because of anything but their own hard work. Few are lucky—there is a wave in a certain party (hinting at VPP), so they managed to win. But others have worked very hard. So, it is not going to be long before more women will come into the frame.”
When asked if political parties should start training women in preparation for the imminent 33% reservation, Lyngdoh dismissed the notion, asserting, “You don’t have to train a woman. Men just have to give them the right. They (men) should make way for them (women), step back. If there is a woman who’s got potential in your constituency, allow them to come forward, because you see that the maximum number of men win because of strong women canvases. Many men win because they have women canvases (during elections). Allow women to come forward. It is time now. Let us see where the women in office are able to execute their roles more efficiently and effectively.”