Increasing the number of women election candidates alone is not enough to increase female participation in politics and a culture change is needed, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning.
Speaking on One Radio, Muscat said the number of women MPs was “extremely disappointing.”
This meant, he said, that half of the country was not represented in Parliament. “Imagine if he had a Parliament with not a single MP from the south, or the north.”
The prime minister said this was not a one-time solution. “Our first line of thought is the changes that the country needs implement with regards to general election quotas. We will start discussing the issue with the Opposition immediately. There is nothing wrong in starting this system during this legislature.”
Muscat said the Labour Party had also come up with its own ten-year plan. This would seek to ensure that half the candidates contesting the 2027 general election are women. “This is the obvious thing to do.”
Malta, he said, did not have a party list system, which was good. The party list system means that people vote for a party and the party then decides which candidates it will elect. “It’s good that our system allows people to elect the MPs of their choice. But increasing the number of women candidates is not enough. We need a culture change. We will help bring this change first by introducing quotas and then by giving 16-year-olds the vote. “
The PL plan was not only about encouraging women to participate but also about mentoring them, preparing them and helping them to get there.
The PM said he was finding resistance across the board, mentioning how Parliament hours were incompatible with family life. “This means that Parliament sessions are held at a time when parents should be at home, spending time with their children.”
Muscat also spoke about yesterday’s PL deputy leadership election, which was won by Health Minister Chris Fearne. He congratulated Fearne and said he will formally be appointed Deputy Prime Minister tomorrow. Muscat also thanked the other two contenders – Edward Scicluna and Helena Dalli – adding that the PL was spoilt for choice. “We had three very strong candidates with exceptional attributes.”
He said he now looked forward to working with Chris Fearne in his new role and reminisced on the time, ten years ago, when he had encouraged him to enter politics. The PM also thanked the PL delegates for their absolute participation in the three campaigns and also for confirming him as Prime Minister. “I will repay this trust by working more and implementing more changes.”
Lastly, Muscat spoke about the Marriage Equality Bill, which was approved by Parliament on Wednesday. “I will not go into whether the Opposition voted with conviction. That is a thing for analysis efforts. I am proud of what we did as a government. We were on the right side of history and a sign of hope in the equality sector.”