In Chinna Pillai story, there is hope for every single woman in our country. Despite the Women's Bill not getting passed for the umpteenth time, if we took a leaf out of Chinna's book, and women were to lobby as representatives of half of the electorate, in self groups, this movement will ensure that a sizeable proportion of representatives in both houses of Parliament were women. The stale opposition to this landmark bill is that it will be the kith, kin and girlfriend of the politician that will get these grace and favour seats, so be it. I take gleeful, cheeky pride in the fact that two new President's in South East Asia, President Arroyo in the Philippines and President Sukarnoputri in Indonesia, occupy the highest office in the land, not just from the inheritance viewpoint but in the honest hard work they put into the difficult art of public life. President Kumaratunga in Sri Lanka, President Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh and Mrs Sonia Gandhi as President of the Congress Party are all living proof that these women in public life, all wives or daughters, are a force to reckon with and detractor who put forth the heredity versus environment, or leaders are not born but created by circumstance theory, can take a long walk on a short pier.
Woman power is here to stay.
In this year of women's empowerment, let us all raise a collective voice and be heard above the din of the mindless power mongers.