Gyroscopic and Surrogacy Representation of Southeast Asia Women NGOs in CEDAW Reporting Process

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1 Gyroscopic and Surrogacy Representation of Southeast Asia Women in Reporting Process SHARIFAH SYAHIRAH S.S 1, SHAHARUDDIN BADARUDDIN 1, RASHILA RAMLI 2 AND AZAMI ZAHARIM 3 1 Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, University Teknologi MARA Shah Alam, Selangor 2 Institute of Occidental Studies Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia UKM Bangi, Selangor 3 Centre for Engineering Education Research Faculty of Engineering and Build Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia UKM Bangi, Selangor sharifahsyahirah@gmail.com, pmshahar@salam.uitm.edu.my, rashramli@yahoo.com, azami.zaharim@gmail.com Abstract: - This study attempts to systematically discuss the roles of women in empowering women in Southeast Asia from gyroscopic and surrogate representations analysis. This paper applies an evolving concept of political representation due to the globalization phenomena and democratization of global politics. Gyroscopic representation refers to the representatives that look within to derive from their own experience conceptions of interest and principles to serve as a basis for their actions. Meanwhile, the surrogate representation occurs when representatives represent a group of people beyond the constituents. It is also can be called political representation transcending the national border for women or any marginalised groups. By examining local-global representation activities of women in Southeast Asia through Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women () reporting process, this research aims to point out the strengths and the impacts of these types of representation to women locally. Through content analysis of and United Nations women development related agencies official documents and unofficial documents prepared by local and international, this research seeks to investigate the women roles played in the global realm. This study is analysed through the social constructivist approach of global politics and the feminist perspective. The findings of this paper indicate governance has constructed a surrogacy representation platform for hundreds of in Southeast Asia to represent women in each country globally from gyroscopic representation perspective. Key-Words: - Gyroscopic Representation, Surrogacy Representation, Southeast Asia, Women s NGO, Reporting Process. 1 Introduction Although women population comprised 50 percent, statistical data by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) [1] shows women representation in parliament are averagely less than 20%. Despite being underrepresented, women issues are repetitively highlighted in global sphere especially through initiatives by United Nations and. ISBN:

2 Therefore, this paper is focusing on two types of political representation namely gyroscopic and surrogacy political representation. These types of political representations have transcended the national borders to represent Southeast Asia women in global platform called Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women () reporting process. 2 Revisiting Representation in Global Politics The concept of political representation usually discussed in a local context. This paper is focusing on different dimension of political representation that evolved due to democratization of global politics for marginalize group i.e women. According to Zappala [2], Mansbridge [3], Castiglione & Warren [4], Dovi [5] and Rehfeld [6, 7], there are development of political representation practices transcending national borders especially for marginalised groups due to globalization phenomena and global governance normative practices. Mansbridge [3] introduces gyroscopic and surrogacy as a newly emerging concept of representation. Gyroscopic representation refers to the representatives that look within to derive from their own experience conceptions of interest and principles to serve as a basis for their actions. Meanwhile, the surrogate representation occurs when representatives represent a group of people beyond the constituents. In this article, it is focusing on political representation transcending the national border for women or any marginalised groups [2]. Here, the involvement of and individuals in reporting process is analyse descriptive and substantively in representing local women issues at the global platform. 3 as A Platform for Gyroscopic and Surrogacy Representation is a convention established in 1979 and ratified by 186 countries. Ten countries in the Southeast Asia have ratifies. Table 1 indicates the ratification dates and number of government reports submitted by these states. Table 1 shows Laos, Philippine, Indonesia and Vietnam are the earliest countries in Southeast Asia ratified in 1981 to Meanwhile in 1990s, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar have ratified. Brunei was the last country to ratify on 24 th May Table 1. The ratification dates and number of government reports submitted by these states. States Ratification year Date Government Report Submitted Brunei 24th May 2006 None Cambodia 15th Oct th Feb 2004 Indonesia 13th Sept th March th Feb th Jun 2005 Laos 14th August rd Feb 2003 Malaysia 5th July nd March 2004 Myanmar 22nd July th March 1999 Philippines 5th August nd Oct th Dec 1988 Singapore 5th Oct st Dec th April st Nov 2004 Thailand 9th August st Jun rd March th Oct 2003 Vietnam 17th Feb nd Oct nd Nov th Oct th June 2005 Source: Division for the Advancement of Women (2012) [8] According to Article 18, upon ratifying, it is a state obligation to send a report on s implementation particularly on measures taken within legislative, judiciary and administrative to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women every four years to the Secretary-General of United Nations. Table 1 indicates most countries are not successfully observed Article 18 due to their late submission of the reports. Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam are the countries that managed to send frequent reports. Meanwhile Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar only sent a report. As the last country to ratify, Brunei has yet to send any report on s implementation. All countries in Southeast Asia seems to be reluctant to ISBN:

3 follow the exact schedule of report submission due to many factors such as lack of political will to change government s legislation, judiciary, policy and administration to be gender sensitive, lack of cooperation given by ministries to compile a report on women affairs, lack of gender segregated data and lower representation of women in Parliament [9]. Other than these reasons, the governments are also reluctant to send the report due to the governance that includes in reporting process. Therefore, governments reports are subjected to critiques and scrutiny from other state members, Committee Members as well as local. 4 Involvement: Descriptive & Substantive Analysis Descriptively, there are hundreds of and activists involved in drafting, compiling data and submitting the NGO s. in Thailand have managed to submit a shadow report on 2003 prepared by 22 local [12]. Then, in 2005, Cambodia and Malaysia have submitted the NGO Shadow reports [13, 14]. There were more than 35 involved in Cambodia s shadow report and more than 30 were involved in Malaysia s shadow report. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Philippine have sent the shadow reports in 2006 [15,16]. More than 100 were involved in Philippine s shadow report and 8 were involved in Vietnam s shadow report. In 2007, 46 Indonesian and 4 Singaporean managed to submit the report [17] [18]. Recently, in 2008, 12 in Myanmar managed to submit a shadow report on women conditions in Myanmar [19]. The number of involved in the shadow reports shows that governance has constructed a surrogacy platform of representation for hundreds of NGO to present local women conditions and situations at the global platform. Table 2. NGO s submitted to Secretary General of United Nations. Fig.1. and Platform for Surrogacy Representation Source: IWRAW-Asia Pacific (2010) [10] Fig.1 illustrates the reporting process of s implementation that involves - UN, government and civil society. It indicates visible platform for and individuals to present a NGO as a check and balance tool for committee to evaluate the Government report on implementation. For example, in 35 th Reporting Process [11], Committee Member considered most issues highlighted by The NGO written and presented by delegates from Malaysian women. Issues presented by women s have been repetitively asked to 20 government delegates [11]. Country Indonesia Singapore Myanmar Cambodia Type of Document Independent report of NGO concerning the implementation of in Indonesia (2007) (2007) Burma (2008) Joint Coalition For The NGO 46 Lead by: Working Group Initiative (CWGI) 4 Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) 12 >35 Women s League of Burma (Women of Burma) Cambodian NGO Committee on ISBN:

4 Philippine Thailand Vietnam Committee Submitted (2005) Philippine Shadow Report (2006) Thailand s Second Ngo Alternative Report (2003) Report Of Non- Governmental Organizations Viet Nam (2006) > Women s Legal Bureau, Inc. Report Working Group - Thai Women Watch (TW2) 8 Group Of Vietnamese Non- Governmental Organizations Laos No report - - Brunei No report - - Malaysia NGO Shadow >30 National Council Report On The for Women s Initial And Second Periodic Organisations (NCWO) & the Report Women s Aid (2005) Organisation (WAO) Source: Data from 8 NGO s ( ) Substantively, the NGO Shadow reports portray the gyroscopic representation of women in each country. All reports are giving the micro situations and conditions of women based on 16 articles of. The articles covering all aspects of women s situations and conditions particularly sociological perspective of stereotype roles, definition of discrimination, education, marriage and family, economic and social status, employment, participation in local politics and international politics. Most Shadow reports are focusing on specific and crucial issues faced by women locally compared to the government reports that only gave general picture of government policy and implementation. The preparation of the shadow reports were divided following the expertise and the area of the activism. For example, Tenaganita Malaysia was the NGO that prepared a report on illegal women, refugees and domestic workers in the Malaysia s NGO shadow report [14]. 5 Conclusion This paper indicates there are hundreds of involved in reporting process from gyroscopic perspective. Most of these are able to look within the women conditions and situations from sixteen (16) aspects as stated in articles. Secondly, this paper managed to highlight the strength of surrogate representation at the global level. Through reporting process involvement, women in Southeast Asia are able to indirectly pressure the government to revisit the policies and practices that are discriminating women in each country. References: [1] Inter-Parliamentary Union, Women s Representation in Parliament, 2012, Retrieved from: [2] G. Zappala, Challenges to the concept & practice of political representation in Australia, 1999, Retrieved from: barary/pubs/rp/ /99rp.28.htm. 29 June [3] J. Mansbridge, Rethinking Representation, American Political Science Review, Vol.97, No.. 4, 2003, pp [4] D. Castiglione & M. E. Warren, Rethinking Representation: Seven Theoretical Issues, 2005, Retrieved from: iarenrepresentation.com. [5] S. Dovi, Political Representation, 2006, Retrieved from: oliticalrepresentation. [6] A. Rehfeld, Towards the general theory of political representation, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 68, No. 1, 2006, pp Cambridge University Press. [7] A. Rehfeld, Representation rethought: on trustees, delegates and gyroscopes in the study of political representation and democracy. American Political Science Review, Vol.103, No.2, 2009, pp [8] United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Status of submission and consideration of reports submitted by states parties under article 18 of the, 2012, Retrieved from: [9] Syahirah S.S, Sharifah, Representasi Politik dan Governance Global: Kajian Mengenai dan Pemerkasaan Wanita di Malaysia, 2010, Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PhD Thesis) ISBN:

5 [10] IWRAW-Asia Pacific, Flowchart Reporting and Review Process, 2012, Retrieved from: hart.htm [11] United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Summary record of the 732 nd meeting, 35 th Session Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 24 May 2006, New York: DAWN, 2006, Retrieved from: [12] Report Working Group - Thai Women Watch (TW2), Thailand s Second Ngo Alternative Report, 2003, Retrieved from: tml [13] Cambodian NGO Committee on Joint Coalition For The Committee Submitted, 2005, Retrieved from: html [14] National Council for Women s Organisations (NCWO) & the Women s Aid Organisation (WAO), NGO on Combined initial and second periodic reports of States parties: Malaysia (), 2005, Retrieved from:. [15] Group Of Vietnamese Non-Governmental Organizations, Report Of Non-Governmental Organizations Viet Nam, 2006, Retrieved from: ml [16] Women s Legal Bureau, Philippine, 2006, Retrieved from: rt.html [17] Working Group Initiative (CWGI), Independent report of NGO concerning the implementation of in Indonesia, 2007, Retrieved from: a_shadow_report.html [18] Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE),, 2007, Retrieved from: e_shadow_report.html [19] Women s League of Burma (Women of Burma), Burma, 2008, Retrieved from: _shadow_reports/burma_sr_wlb.pdf ISBN: