50:50 campaign is championing female legislators like these to fill public positions
Malawi Government and pro-gender activists came up with the 50:50 Campaign for men and women to equally share positions of influence in running affairs of the State.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare is the parent body for the initiative. It works with organisations such as Gender Coordinating Network (NGO-GCN).
As the 2014 Tripartite Elections draw closer, government, weeks ago, launched the campaign again.
Gender Minister Clara Makungwa said that “special attention goes to women aspiring for parliamentary, local government, national, regional and district political party leadership, community leadership, opinion leaders and voters who are a special audience.”
All eyes are fixed on the elections. Hopes are higher, and so are stakes.
Emma Kaliya, executive director for NGO-GCN, said that 50:50 should be achieved next year.
“We can make it. The important thing is that women should love each other; let us not be jealousy of each other, let us be united,” she said.
A popular gender activist in Namibia, Michael Conteh, warned of a grasshopper syndrome as one thing affecting women supporting each other.
Kachindamoto: We need more female chiefs
“When you put grasshoppers in a jar, you find that instead of supporting each other to get out the grasshoppers start jabbing each other,” he said last month.
This is where love that Kaliya refers to becomes critical.
Chief Kachindamoto of Dedza District looks at empowerment from the chief’s perspective.
“Men also should be electing women as chiefs. We want all the practices that violate women rights to end,” she said.
Villages are where the parliamentarians come from. If the women have an enabling environment, 50:50 will no longer be a target but a reality.
Holding a high office, Kwataine knows what it takes to be a female leader. She, therefore, advises fellow women, “All I can ask from my fellow women is that you have to be firm, don’t look down upon yourselves, don’t give up the fight but be forward-looking during the campaign period and onwards.”
“I urge women to be in good terms with chiefs in your areas. Be like door and frame. If your opponent is a man and he is swearing at your, don’t be shaken just know that the man is afraid of you,” she said.
The journey taken on the campaign has not been an issue for the locals. Even the donors have a greater role. Norway is such a prominent donor.
“When the first scheme to provide economic support to women candidates was thought out back in 2004, the representation of women in Parliament was seven percent,” recalls Norwegian Ambassador Asbjorn Eidhammer.
The battle has been tough for the women in positions. He still recalls that “some lost the primary elections to male candidates who have much more resources than men”.
When men and women equally share positions of influence, it does not automatically mean the world is going to be a better place. In fact, there is no evidence that women are better leaders than men or the other way round. Leadership is not about sex but personal traits.
“There is also hope that more women in politics might lead to better safeguarding of public funds. Until yesterday, I was prepared to argue that corruption more than anything is a male thing. But I saw the picture in The Nation about the cashgate women,” said Eidhammer.
He added: “When I came back to Malawi after some years in Norway, I noticed many changes. Maybe the most remarkable was the new outspokenness of Malawians. Most people had freed themselves from the mindset of the dictatorship, and they were no longer easy to be intimidated.”
Realising that though the figure of female parliamentarians is increasing, Parliament came up with Women Caucus of Parliament—a deliberate effort to upholster the women.
The Scottish government funded a project supporting the Women Caucus from April 2010 to March 2013. It was called Building Better Democratic Project.
The Women Caucus chairperson Cecilia Chazama said about the project: “Every member of the Women’s Caucus will continue to campaign for the policies and investment required to bring change, not for ourselves, but for those we represent.”
The project supported the women’s efforts to consult with constituents, to find out what really mattered to them in their homes, their villages and their districts.
“In three years, we have met with thousands of women and girls, listened to their personal experiences and discussed how we could make things better together,” said Chazama.
She added: “The project also encouraged peer support among female MPs, regardless of party differences, and by strengthening their skills and knowledge, helped us become more effective members of Parliament.”
Central to this change is securing more women in all levels of governance; as community leaders, councillors and parliamentarians.
Women in leadership roles raise aspiration among girls, and crucially bring new perspectives to law and policy making, as well as improving service delivery and strengthening the democratic process.
The members of the Women’s Caucus have, since 2009, all worked hard to consult and collaborate with their constituency stakeholders, from traditional authorities through to district officials and women in villages, indicated the project report.
Now that the 2014 Tripartite Elections will bring in Parliamentarians and local councilors, there is need for strong support from the Caucus and individual Parliamentarians to support the incoming female local councillors.
