The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has amended an article in the statute of the municipal councils to enable male and female members to sit together on the same table in the same room, according to local daily Al-Watan on Sunday.

Under the abolished Article 107, women members should sit in separate rooms and to be connected with male members through closed TV circuit.

The statute which was approved by former minister Abdullatif Al-Ashaikh was amended by the incumbent acting minister Majed Al-Gossabi.

The participation of women members in the meetings with men from separate rooms has been debated for three years before the statute was finally amended.

The acting minister said women members can also sit together with men members to attend meetings, workshops, lectures, debates and other activities from the same venue with men.

Critics said the old article was impeding women from participating in the discussions and therefore negatively affecting their performance.

They said separate seating of women would not help the empowerment of women to hold leading positions.

They asked for giving women council members the option to sit wherever they choose.

SOURCE : SAUDIGAZETTE