On 50:50 campaign
The NGO Gender Coordinating Network (NGOGCN) would like to respond to two separate articles written by Muthi Nhlema and a Concerned Citizen published in The Nation of Monday June 9 2014, on My Turn and Readers Write sections titled Maybe, women just can’t lead? and Banish 50/50 Campaign respectively. In these articles, the concerned citizen insinuated that because the campaign is not bearing fruit, it is useless and a waste of money while Nhlema’s article characterised women as ‘better caretakers of homes and communities’.
As a network that champions gender equality and has been spearheading the implementation of the 50:50 Campaign during the 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections as well as the 2014 Tripartite Elections, NGOGCN feels obliged to respond to both articles and clarify this misinformation to the nation.
NGOGCN appreciates and welcomes any constructive criticism from Malawians of goodwill, as this will help shape the future of the 50:50 programmes, because in any initiative there should be room for improvements. However, it is disheartening to note that instead of giving suggestions and solutions, some individuals have resorted to perpetuating stereotyping of women by pushing them further into traditional roles.
In the first place, it is not correct that the NGOCGN received K350 million from the Royal Norwegian Embassy for this campaign, the correct figure is K335 million. It is important that people exercise some level of seriousness and professionalism when dealing with such matters.
NGOGCN wants to further say that during the May tripartite elections, 32 female MPs and 56 female ward councilors were elected. Although the 50 percent target was not reached as expected, this cannot be classified as total failure as portrayed by some quarters. We believe that if the authors of these articles were really concerned, they should have portrayed some level of patriotism and passion to this issue.
Furthermore it is worth noting that the grant was equally used to lobby political parties participating in the elections about the need to put women in decision making positions. As we speak today, four political parties that have more members in Parliament have female representation in both houses, which the NGOGCN and all partners implementing the 50:50 campaigns are proud of.
Malawians of goodwill will agree with us that the numbers achieved cannot be seen as a mean achievement in a society that has dominant patriarchy ideologies as witnessed in the two articles mentioned herein. We are well convinced that the women that have made it will definitely make a difference in their positions as they push for equality of all citizens, both in the upper and lower chambers.
NGOGCN wishes to inform and educate the authors and other likeminded individuals that the 50:50 campaign did not just come from without but rather derives from the following national, regional and international legal instruments: the Malawi Republican Constitution, the Gender Equality Act, the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development, AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Platform for Action.
It is, therefore, naïve and insensitive for anyone to suggest that the 50:50 campaign is useless and a waste of money. Women constitute 51 percent of the Malawi population, but an analysis of the social situation of women in the country has shown that women are disadvantaged in almost every sector of development. In this particular case, NGOGCN would like to encourage both writers to read the legal instruments as indicated above in order to appreciate the importance of the 50:50 campaign in as far as gender equality is concerned.
It has to be put on record that the NGOGCN is very disturbed with these outrageous remarks made by both authors as it sends a wrong signal to the nation as regards issues of gender equality. More to it is the whole issue of having to understand the motive behind this misguided thinking, especially when it is happenning at a time when the world over is advancing the gender equality agenda. This is retrogressive thinking in a nation that is supposed to embrace tolerance and preach equality of all persons.
—The author is NGOGCN chairperson.
Good!!! Firstly, campaign extensively within women cycles and then think of expanding it further. Why? You have a very big opposition amongst yourselves women. Most of you are not willing to tolerate your friends’ wishes and ambitions. You are fond of screwing each other down instead of supporting each other. Imagine the so called NGOGCN chairperson; ‘More than two female candidates competing for one parliamentary seat in a constituency!!’. Was there some seriousness there? Why could you help them formulate strategies which could allow them stand where only one female would be featured? For example you could achieve this by striving for the amendment of some electrol laws in order to favour the females eg. make it possible for a female candidate to stand to compete as an MP / Councillor anywhere within the country regardless of where she comes from or she has lived > …… yrs before. You have funds hence you can support them widely in order to make them popular, other than just wasting time critisizing others. Extensive training on how they can express facts other than just pointing fingers at others, would probably help you achieve your goals. It was sad that some of those women that contested for various seats, could not even express themselves to convice the electolate. During the last campaign, pipo looked for real facts and not gender. Those that had facts made it to parliament and those that were blank, have to rethink the career of their choice. There is NO easy way to prosperity. Remember! Rome was not built in a day. Just work extra harder until you achieve your goal. Spiritually, some of us are ready to support you on this campaign.