India’s parliament elected its first woman speaker yesterday, Meira Kumar, who is also a member of the casteless Dalit community also known as “untouchables.”
The event was hailed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a “historic occasion.”
Kumar, 64, was elected unopposed by a voice vote in India’s 543-seat lower house of parliament, which includes 59 women members of parliament (MP).
PHOTO: AFP
“For the first time a woman member has been elected speaker, and that, too, a woman from the Dalit community,” Singh said after Kumar had taken her seat of office.
“In electing you ... we members of parliament pay tribute to the women of our country and the great contribution that they have made,” he said.
A five-term MP, Kumar was a career diplomat who entered politics in 1985.
In this spring’s national polls, she was elected to parliament from the impoverished eastern state of Bihar.
Kumar had described her nomination as a “historic moment” for the country and an “overwhelming moment” for herself.
Her name was put forward by the Congress party following its resounding general election victory, which guaranteed that the party’s nominee for speaker would be elected.
In the event, Kumar was the only candidate and the opposition opted to go along with the choice.
The motion to elect Kumar was moved by Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and seconded by opposition leader L.K. Advani from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The media was supportive, with the Hindu newspaper saying that Kumar brought years of experience to the speaker’s office both as an MP and a minister.
“She seems to have the desired qualities of amiability, patience and commitment to fair play,” the Hindu said.
The task of the speaker in India’s often volatile parliament can be an onerous one.
Rather than debate a bill that they oppose, MPs often storm the well of the house in large numbers and disrupt proceedings until the speaker is forced to adjourn the session.
Earlier this week, premier Singh had urged MPs from all parties to observe a “new beginning” and allow parliament to function smoothly and without unnecessary interruption.
Political analyst Neerja Choudhury said Kumar’s nomination was a “conscious decision” on the part of Congress to strengthen its support base among India’s 160 million Dalits.
In recent years, many Dalit voters have switched their support to regional parties.
Shunned by society, Dalits generally perform the lowliest occupations, including scavenging on rubbish dumps, and are the poorest in terms of income, literacy and land.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS