“It is important to increase female participation in public administration”, says Yomara Lins

Manaus (AM) – Elected vice-president of the Manaus City Council (CMM), Councilor Yomara Lins (PRTB) entered the history of the Legislative House as the first woman to hold office. In an exclusive for the Em Tempo portal, the parliamentarian spoke about the reality of the political space, which is still predominantly occupied by men, and highlighted that the greater participation of women in politics is beneficial for society as a whole: “it is essential to encourage launch of more female candidacies, especially from black, indigenous and diverse identities”. She also highlighted that “the House of Laws is the people’s house”, and that councilors need to get closer to the population.

Born in Manaus, Yomara Lins graduated in law from the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam). She was elected councilwoman in 2020 with 4,278 votes.

In time – What is it like to be a woman in Amazonian politics? Politics is still a space predominantly occupied by men. Do you feel that there are still closed doors to be opened by women in politics?

Yomara Lins – Today, women still find it very difficult to occupy spaces of power, be elected or have an active voice in political decision-making. But the number of parliamentarians is growing and this is good for our population. Failure to occupy these spaces leaves women on the sidelines of public policy-making processes, in addition to weakening democracy. We have open doors anywhere, we just need to fight hard to occupy the same spaces. It is fundamental to stimulate the launch of more female candidacies, especially from black, indigenous and diverse identities.

In time – Right now, there are women in charge of the Court of Justice and in the ministries of the Federal Government, but we still don’t have a woman governor of Amazonas, or mayor of Manaus. Do you think it will take a while to see this happen in the Amazon?

Yomara Lins – Our women take care of the family, take care of the house, take care of work, take care of the children and even take care of the husband, so why not also take care of the State? Researches and international works recognized the good performance of female governments, such as Margareth Thatcher and Theresa May in England, Germany (Merkel), New Zealand (Jacinda Ardern) and Taiwan (Tsai-Win-wen), the last two being women who responded very well to their work and showing the efficiency of female administration. In 2021, only six Brazilian states elected women governors in the entire history of the Republic. There were, in total, eight women elected in 11 electoral disputes. I support any ruler who comes to add to our municipality and state. It is important to increase female participation in public administration, with benefits for society as a whole.

In time – Within the CMM, a series of controversies took place last year, especially in relation to the construction of an annex building and the number of absences of some parliamentarians. Do you believe that councilors need to do work to improve the image of the house?

Yomara Lins – Councilors who are part of the Legislative Power, always discuss and vote on matters involving municipal taxes, municipal education, bus lines and sanitation, among other city issues as well as the series of controversies, especially in relation to the construction of a building attached to house and the number of absences of some parliamentarians. Each councilor is elected directly, by vote, becoming a representative of the population who can also oversee our demands and actions. So we have to be in line with the interests and well-being of the people. In the City Council, the projects, amendments and resolutions have to go through commissions, to be voted on in plenary. Even after being approved, projects and amendments need to be submitted to the mayor, who can veto them in whole or in part or approve them.

In time – Councilman Caio André made it clear during his inauguration that the CMM needs to be closer to the people. Do you, as a parliamentarian and vice president, agree with that statement? Do you have any project or idea to bring the mandate closer to people?

Yomara Lins – We will be monitoring and contributing whatever is necessary to make it work. I always say that the House of Laws is the people’s house and we must always communicate with the population, because our job is to be the link between the people and the public power. Now, I will never deny the right to public policies for our population, because we will certainly demand all demands, and we will have this discussion with our mayor.

In time – Much is said about independence between powers. Is it possible within politics to be independent and at the same time place the interests of the city above the individual interests of each parliamentarian?

Yomara Lins – I try here, therefore, to carry out my work in a transparent manner. More precisely, I am involved in the search for an explanation for the configuration of interests towards our city, of course for the process of evolution of political citizenship. The approximation of the councilor with the community is of paramount importance for his good coexistence with the population in general. So, this is in my character, and I have this with great conviction to always position myself in favor of the Manaus population and not on the A, B or C side.

In time – What are the demands that the women of Manaus most need today in your understanding, and that can be met by the CMM? As councilwoman, do you have any priority projects for women in Manaus?

Yomara Lins – In almost two years of office, I presented 500 official letters, 51 nominations and 26 bills, 2 of which have already been sanctioned by the Mayor, the highlight being the bill that is now law (Law No. woman’s heart”, which serves to alert and guide women about the early diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. And the project (now Law No. 2791 of October 1, 2021) which provides for the institution of the Municipal Program for composting organic waste, which aims to promote the reduction, reuse and recycling of solid waste.

In time – What are your policy goals for the next two years? Have you already defined whether you are going to be a candidate for re-election, or do you intend to run for other positions?

Yomara Lins – Today is the day to give thanks for winning this mandate. I always thank my voters and family members for our achievement, for their commitment and invaluable help in our campaign. This victory is ours and I am very grateful to those people who believed in my ability to represent. I confess that the journey has been long and arduous, and the next two years will be a lot of work but very pleasant, with the welcoming of the population being very well received in every place I have been and will be present, my heart overflows with gratitude to everyone who contributed so that we could achieve this victory. And if God allows it, I will follow along with the population for the second term. Legislative work has been intense over the past two years and will continue to be so over the next two years.

In time – Finally, I would like you to leave a message for the women. What would you say about the need for them to be more involved in politics in Amazonas?

Yomara Lins – Discussing women’s participation in political parties in Amazonian society requires a historical analysis of women’s struggles. Before we enter the Amazonian harvest, it is important to look back at the participation of women in the last elections, demonstrating the data made available by UN Women, which ranks Brazil in the 32nd position of a ranking from 33 Latin American countries on women’s participation in parliaments, that is, we are far behind when it comes to women’s effective participation in politics. The insertion of women in the labor market is an achievement, but one that is still in its infancy in terms of equal rights. Let’s fight, comrades!

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