Paulina Quintao – The Caucus organization is providing training to 30 potential female political candidates, which have been registered in the National Election Commission (NCE), in preparation for the 2017 general elections.
Program head Pascoal da Cruz Gomes said the training aimed to strengthen the capacity of participants, so that they could be a strong advocate for women if elected to parliament.
He said some MPs elected to represent their parties at parliament did not raise women's issues or concerns because they weren't properly prepared.
He said the program was an important initiative as most women did not receive any specific training from the political parties they represented. The training is focused on transformative leadership and public speaking skills.
He said the 30 participants were from both old and political parties that had already registered at National Election Commission. Training is currently offered to one representative per political party, but the program will be ongoing.
Member of the Timor-Leste Parliamentary Women's Group (GMPTL) MP Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said female MPs could not talk very long during plenary sessions due to time limitations.
"There is a limitation in the plenary and sometimes only five to ten people get the chance to talk and not all people [can speak]," she said.
She said political parties had a responsibility to provide training for its members, particularly women. Caucus also had a role to play in strengthening women's involvement in politics, she added.
Soares urged the Caucus to involve women from all political parties in the program rather than simply choosing one or two parties to participate.
She said it was often the case that the Caucus only invited representatives that they supported to participate in training activities.
"There is discrimination because some parties are not invited," she said. "The donors give funding not for discrimination, but for all women to participate."