Civil society foresees continuous political marginalization of women

The heated policed rivalry regarding the distribution of seats in the proposed cabinet points out the continuous marginalization of women, despite the circulation of the name of former minister Leila Solh Hamadeh, vice chair of Walid Bin Talal Foundation, as a potential candidate, and as reported by L’Orient Le Jour today. In this respect, the newspaper referred to the president of the Civil Society Dialogue Table and women’s rights activist, Hayat Arslan’s disappointment over what is going on.  “Our motto has always been: a government that has no women is underdeveloped”, Arslan told Al Markaziyah electronic portal, expressing regret over the absence of the active participation of women. There are many qualified women deserving to be in leading positions, Arslan boasted. “We were looking forward to a reform that would fairly represent all elements of society be it in the cabinet or in public institutions,” Arslan maintained, stressing as well the significance of youth representation in the government to be. For her part, the environmental activist, president of the Green Party of Lebanon, Nada Zaarour, disclosed to L’Orient Le Jour, that she has had talks with concerned circles advising them not to give up on women in the upcoming cabinet. Zaarour said she believes the subject is just as important as the environment. She lambasted the preoccupation of politicians in so-called ‘sovereign’ ministerial profiles, whereas, they consciously disregard the environment dossier which has direct impact on the life and health of citizens. (L’Orient Le Jour, November 11, 2016)