Riya Mala 
In its electoral submission, the University of Fiji proposed public funding for political parties, suggesting it be tied to ensuring adequate representation of women.
Vice Chancellor Shaista Shameem emphasizes this point, highlighting the importance of representing minority groups, including people with disabilities and those from remote islands.
She made these comments during the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Electoral Reform, in response to a question about increasing women’s representation in Parliament.
The Vice Chancellor stresses that it is the responsibility of political parties to ensure that at least 40% of their members are women.
“And if they do, then public funding would actually be kicked in for them. So the responsibility is there rather than in Parliament itself, and it doesn’t involve any change of legislation.”
Proposed Hearts With Vision Party Founder, Salote Malani, believes seats should be reserved for women.
Malani says that over the last four years, there has been a noticeable decline in the number of women represented in Parliament.
“That’s the main issue right now. And we’ve dealt with the ethnicity, and we’ve done well there. Now let’s progress to how we get women, more women in parliament. I cannot think of any other way but to do reserve seating, to change the culture quickly.”
Shameem argues that achieving gender balance requires more than just legislation; political parties themselves must commit to it as a core principle of inclusivity.
Currently, only five women serve in the Fijian Parliament.
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