Fiji cannot afford to lose the expertise and leadership potential of capable women, with the Women in Parliament Practice Prime Minister, Annie Roger warning that discrimination is expensive and comes at the cost of talent, sound judgement and opportunity.

Addressing Parliament, Roger said the underrepresentation of women in leadership remained a concern, pointing to the composition of Fiji’s Parliament, which comprises 50 men and only five women.

She said overlooking qualified women because leadership continued to be perceived as a male domain was not only a matter of discrimination but also an economic, governance and democratic issue.

“Discrimination is expensive. It costs us talent, sound judgement and opportunity,” the Practice Prime Minister said.

Roger stressed that women’s experiences and perspectives were essential across all areas of decision-making, including the economy, infrastructure, national security, climate resilience, public finance and health.

To address the imbalance, four key commitments were proposed: establishing transparent pathways into leadership, providing practical support and leadership development opportunities, introducing published representation targets with regular reporting, and giving serious consideration to Temporary Special Measures through consultation and lawful processes.

The Practice Prime Minister also called on political parties, businesses and public institutions to actively seek qualified women and review how candidates were selected, supported and promoted.

Responding to concerns about merit, Roger said men did not have a monopoly on merit and should therefore not have a monopoly on opportunity.

She further emphasised the importance of creating a society where girls could aspire to leadership and boys grew up recognising women as equals in decision-making.

She urged all Members of Parliament to support the motion, calling for practical action to ensure women had fair opportunities to contribute to Fiji’s leadership and national development.

By: Litia Rabua