Women of Nepal

Mina Pandey

Chairperson of the Nepal Women's Association
Member of the Central Committee, Nepali Congress
Member of the Constituent Assembly

Born on April 21, 1952, in Bethan VDC, Ramechhap district

Born to a family of farmers in eastern Nepal, Meena Pandey was lucky to have the opportunity to go to school. Her uneducated parents were in a position to afford their daughter's education, but were not ready to send their child far away. So after Pandey completed her studies at the local Kusheshwar Primary School, she had to discontinue her schooling as there was no high school in her village. But Pandey's desire for further education hit its peak in 1968 when she left her village for Kathmandu.

Pandey moved in with one of her relatives in the capital. She decided to join her aunt in the 9th grade despite the fact she had only just passed the 5th grade in an attempt to save money on books. The curriculum was tough for her but she was determined to complete high school level education. Pandey passed the School Leaving Certificate examination on her second attempt and went on to study at Kathmandu's Padma Kanya Campus for further education.

There was always an anti-Panchayat feeling within her family. Her brother Shiva Bahadur Khadka would speak openly against the autocratic Panchayat system, as did her sister-in-law Durga. But Pandey never expected to enter the political sphere. "I used to think I came to this field unexpectedly."

Pandey asserts she became interested in politics only after she came to Kathmandu for study. It was a time activities of political parties were prohibited. Even today parents prefer their daughters not to enter politics. "It was especially difficult for me to jump into politics. My parents were totally against it because my elder brother was in jail for taking part in a protest program against the Panchayat System," Pandey said.

Pandey approached politics gradually, meeting prominent leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC) such as Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh. Her active involvement in politics began in 1976. During the 1979 student movement she was arrested and detained in Central Jail for around a year. Her elder brother Shiva Bahadur and younger brother Ram Chandra were also jailed due to their involvement in the movement.  

A member of the Nepal Student Union (NSU - affiliated with the NC), Pandey was elected first president of the Free Students' Union in Padma Kanya Campus after Tribhuvan University's 1979 decision to allow the formation of student unions in its campuses. Some of Pandey's fellow student unionists had already quitted politics. "I have never turned my back on struggles. I am continuously in this field because I strongly believe that politics is the decisive power," she said.

Although Pandey was a popular woman student leader of the NSU during the Panchayat period, she acquired NC membership only after the People's Movement of 1990. In 1992 she became a member of the Mahasamiti (General Committee) of the party, and was elected a member of the Working Central Committee in the party's 11th general convention.

In the first general election held after the 1990 political change Pandey was elected in a constituency in Sarlahi District and became one of seven women members of the House of Representatives which had 205 seats. She again won the election in 1996.

Besides her work in the party, she had a strong desire to work with the women within her party. After multi-party democracy was restored in 1990, Pandey actively worked for the Nepal Women's Association, revitalized under the late Mangala Devi Singh's leadership.

Thanks to her hard work, Pandey was appointed minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare for a year from December 1997, making her the third woman to hold the position. Both Lila Koirala of the Nepali Congress and Sahana Pradhan of the CPN (UML) had held the position previously. Pandey said though she could not do achieve all she wanted for women and children, she could at least make some fundamental changes within her tenure. She published a book on her working plans to take issues to the Beijing Conference of Women, took the initiative to form the National Women's Commission, and promoted NGO Maiti Nepal to rehabilitate women freed from the trafficking business.

Pandey additionally developed a concept paper 'Mahila Jagriti (Women Awakening)' intending to run programs in all of Nepal's 75 districts with the aim to bring women 'from the kitchen to Parliament'. Unfortunately she had to quit the ministry before the concept materialized when Kamala Panta from NC took over her post. However, Pandey's idea was later developed as Women Development Section in all districts, which works under the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare. Pandey does not wish to evaluate her programs in the government. "I cannot say whether the programs were effective or not. Let others judge them," she said.

Pandey holds the belief through her own experiences in the party that women must work harder to hold on to the same positions their male counterparts have, but is aware this is generally the case in every sector.

She was elected a proportional representation member in the Constituent Assembly, something more achievable for women these days. Pandey stresses it is possible for women to enjoy the same rights men do only once they take the initiative to come out of their homes and start raising issues. "Although the voices of equal participation and inclusion of women are being heard these days, they have not yet been implemented enough. There are 197 women members in the Constituent Assembly. Women in general believe they will raise the voices of their problems. But it is necessary for all women to join hands for women's rights, and men should also support the equality of women."

People involved in politics in Nepal struggled for a long time since the Panchayat period. After four decades of fighting, Pandey now considers struggle just a part of daily life. "I believe struggle itself is a life. You can take it either positively or negatively. At times, I take the struggle as an opportunity as it has given us chances to enjoy democracy."

Pandey suffered for her political activism during the pre-1990 period when political parties were banned. Everyone was afraid of politicians and even her relatives would not allow her shelter for the night. Politicians faced political, economic, social, physical as well as psychological crises. Raising one's voice against the government or meeting in a group to discuss a common agenda were considered crimes. One could be jailed for reading a newspaper published by underground political parties and fined some Rs 3,000.

Pandey spent many nights hungry. In those days, those associated with politics were blacklisted and considered misfits within society. Pandey and her brothers had no chance of obtaining employment within the government as all had been arrested and jailed.

"After the change of 1990 politics became much easier, but even after that we had to fight against the monarchy," she said. Pandey sustained a head injury in a protest program against the king's move in the capital in 2003, and a leg injury in Banke district in 2005. These injuries still affect her daily life.

Pandey believes although the party has given her a ticket to contest in the elections and brought her to the central committee, this does not mean party policy has changed. In the beginning, a few women dedicated themselves to the party but many could not work continuously. "The party's leadership is occupied by male politicians and they are not sensitive to gender issues. It is not easy to change the patriarchal mentality in political parties. NC does raise issues of inclusion and equal participation for women but the sayings of the leaders do not go along with their actions. That is why even now we do not see women at decision-making level." Pandey asserts that the situation is similar in all political parties, including Maoist parties which discuss equal participation.

Pandey makes the point that politics is not a place to earn money. "Women should come to politics only after knowing it is a place for sacrifice and dedication."

Pandey married in 1980 and now has two sons. Luckily her husband understood politics so it was easier for her to continue in the field after her marriage than it is for most women, though she did have the additional duty of taking care of her home and family. Her married life was full of happiness until the early death of her husband in 2003. "All family members should understand it is more difficult for a woman to come to a sector like this than it is for a man. All should help women because it is important not only for the women themselves, but also their home, society, and the state itself."

Written by Laxmi Basnet