United Nations Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues Fourth Session Geneva, 29-30 November 2011 Agenda GUARANTEEING MINORITY WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL LIFE: TOWARD A NEW PARADIGM OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT Ironic but not strange that I should speak about this in a minority forum and as member of minority as shall speak about what maybe most people would rather not c onsider a human rights issue and impatiently dismiss as ideologic al debate. Nevertheless, let me speak as one having not quite extric ated herself from the inc apac itating and disempowering fall-outs of history, vestiges left by c olonialism. I speak of experienc es of a c olonialized person albeit the c olonizer is now in absentia. I shall also speak about experienc es of one who is still struggling to loc ate her plac e in a national identity that is perpetually denied to be born and fulfilled, as a minority nationality. Surely, i c an not c onsider myself to belong to these 'postmodernist' era as free people for as long as historic al injustic e is left undone. But who am I to defend the wars and linger on the sadness and angry memories of violenc e and destruc tion? How c an I tell a story about wars, whether of aggression or resistanc e, that I had no stake but were purportedly fought for my liberation, as my own story? The only way to tell about this story is about suffering, of how my kind as minority women suffered. How unfortunate indeed that minority c ommunities still have to grapple with these 'narrow' c onc erns of nationalism and identity, and c ontinue struggling to extric ate themselves from vestiges of c olonialism when privileged few reap the prosperities and are eager and ready to c ompete and buy-and-sell in the free market of global village, living in post modern sodeties when more than half of humanity, minorities many of them, have not even tasted of modern amenities. When majority now living in the 21st c entury seem to already enjoy the seamless, virtual, global sodeties roc ket-propelled into modernity by booming tec hnology, information sodety and soc alled free market, minorities still talkaboutc ommunityand the village life and traditions. Is it good or bad, I ask you, honorable and distinguished delegates. But let me disabuse your minds, ladies and gentlemen. Ethnic and religious minorities are not against soc ial c hanges. Minorities are not anti-modernity as most tend to believe. Only that they are c ritic al of the proc esses and means that these soc ial c hanges and modernity are being steadily built on. Minorities, on whose expense these prosperities were c reated remain in the margins and still are left with the fall -outs and rankling with deep wounds of past wars. And how is it to be modern and urban? The fulfillment and satisfac tion of modernity and urbanity is always measured at the expense of its opposite, the traditional and rural. Its c apac ity to satisfy needs and bring joy is always desc ribed vis-a-vis the lac k and poverty of the traditional and rural. Is this the progress and development that humanitywantto see?Certainly not.