Parliament should find more common ground when dealing with issues that would benefit the whole country as they did with Bill for Equality in House, Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar said.
“Our politics are polarised, but we need to find more moments with more respect not only for the parliament’s benefit, but to the people,” Cutajar said.
The Parliamentary Secretary remarked that the constitutional change is not enough, but there need to be changes in stereotypes in order to see a change in society.
“It is not only this law that we need to change, but also the stereotypes directed towards women,” Cutajar remarked.
“We don’t want more women for simple numbers. We want it so that we are a step closer to equality.”
The Parliamentary Secretary also said that research points out of female Ministers being more inclusive when proposals are put forward.
“Research shows that the proposals that female ministers bring up are more inclusive,” she remarked.
Answering to certain MPs who said that the process of equality in parliament should not change and let it take its due course – that is for it to happen naturally – Cutajar said that the difference is too stark to become true in the near future.
“There were who said that we should leave it as it is, and it will come naturally. But how can you look in this room, when 90% are male, and relate?” she questioned.
She also noted that it will not affect those who are rightly elected by the electorate. “This new law will increase more seats in parliament so that we can reach the quota; it will not chuck out those who were rightly elected,” Curajar said.
“This is not a reform that gives a prize to someone who didn’t convince the electorate, but to give more space for women. This is a historic vote.”