Diversity inclusion is a very nice concept that promotes equal opportunities for physically and mentally challenged people, women, the LGBT and so on. Most people agree with it principally but local traditions and male-dominated societies across the world, including the US of A, make it difficult to implement the lofty ideas. Gender equality is the biggest percentage in diversity inclusion, it takes the most visible and prominent hit. And worse, females tend to be the biggest hurdle in gender equality. They are known to suppress other women, sometimes with a passion exceeding that of the men.
Equal participation of women in democratically elected governing or managing bodies has rarely happened. The Government had to reserve a quota of seats in Panchayats for women and now the same is being done for Lok Sabha as well. In companies, nominating a wife or a daughter as a Member of the Board is common.
Sector 39 RWA MCs are elected through a fair democratic process. The last 2 decades provide many examples of our respectable women elected to various Managing Committees (MC). While most MCs had just one or two women, there are examples of multiple women elected in a single MC as well. But contrary to principles of diversity inclusion, rarely do women make it to the positions of president, general secretary or finance member.
However, in Sector 39 we have a shining example of women presidents for 9 successive years, Mrs Parashar, from 2009-10 & 2010-11, Mrs Gandhi from 2011-12, Mrs. Ahluwalia from 2013-14 and Mrs Parashar again from 2014-18. And several others at block executive positions over the years.
However, in most RWAs, all over Noida, it is alleged that at times the elected women are manipulated and pressurised to toe the line in the matters of MC working, by other MC members, sometimes even by those in block executive positions (who had no such authority) or even worse, some from outside the MC by so-called kingmakers of the sector. It is alleged that sometimes a block executive may even run the entire MC from behind, without exposing himself to the risks of such posts or the financial decisions taken. As is quite common, the aggrieved rarely speak out. Except for bad experiences shared by them to close people in moments of grief. Some women capitulate and follow the ‘directions’ rather than face a court marshall by powers behind, some give up after one stint and some drift apart to join another Group. Eventually, the Sector is a loser when we suppress the women’s participation in MC.
This year Sector 39 elected 3 women to the MC, including one at the Sector level upper 6 positions. Would they be supported and allowed to succeed? Or would they be manipulated? Time will tell. As of now the lady elected as executive member, at Sector level and with maximum votes, has resigned. The MC has so far not shared a formal circular or notice to members to notify the development, give transparent reasons for such a sad development and explain the actions taken under the provisions of the Bye-Laws in such a scenario. The lady took to WhatsApp groups to express her part of the story, but expectedly a coterie got together to suppress her voice with orchestrated messages devoid of any creditable counterarguments. If the lady who got maximum votes in free and fair elections is hounded out by a few within less than a month from elections, it is a telling story of the suppression of women’s participation and a mockery of the majority decision in a democratic process. She was the lone woman member in the last 2 MCs but never had to come to a position of desperation to resign. This time she had two more women elected as MC members to give her company. Residents hope that the entire process of acceptance of resignation will be closed as per provisions of the Bye-Laws, and a detailed message with proper reasons will be shared by the MC. Surely the RWA members deserve this minimum courtesy.
