National Commission for Women (NCW) member Delina Khongdup has said opposition to women’s inclusion in the dorbars comes from men and their mindset needs to change.
“As per our tradition women are not allowed to participate in the dorbars. We need to look at this matter and conduct a study and change the mindset of men. They also need to be aware,” Khongdup told reporters.
Female representation in Dorbar Shnongs and other traditional governance bodies of the Khasi community has been a vexed one for many years now. According to custom, women are not allowed to participate in the local dorbar.
The issue is being pursued by the Lympung Ki Seng Kynthei (LKSK), an apex body comprising 28 women’s organisations in East Khasi Hills District, who had sought the intervention of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to allow women in decision making process in the traditional institutions.
While the KHADC agreed to rewrite the rules to make it mandatory for every dorbar shnong to have two women representatives in its executive committee once the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Administration of Elaka) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, becomes an Act, the amendment was opposed by the opposition for various reasons.
It may be mentioned that the Meghalaya High Court had also noted that it will be odd that only by reason of her gender a woman is not allowed to contest or vote in the election of a Rangbah Shnong. It said that it would be better that the elementary equality for both men and women to participate in election of a Rangbah Shnong comes out of consensus “rather by dint of a judicial diktat”.
However, the issue continues to hang in balance as Meghalaya is yet to close the gender gap and give women the power space in traditional institutions.
