Sub Saharan Africa

Rwanda's parliament is now almost two-thirds female, while Malawi, Liberia and Senegal have women at the helm. Western feminists, take note.

What would have once sounded like a far-fetched feminist fantasy – namely women forming the majority of a parliament – is a reality in one country in the world, Rwanda.

Early reports from the parliamentary elections last Monday indicate that women now hold nearly 64% of the seats. Prior to the genocidal conflict in 1994, the figure was just 18%.

WITH two years to go for Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries to meet the 50-50 target for gender parity in decision-making positions, it seems many states in the region are not on course to meet this target. Only five countries – South Africa, Seychelles, Mozambique, Tanzania and Angola – are on course to meet the target at Parliamentary level only.
Zambia, together with Swaziland, Malawi, Congo DR among others, have shown low representation of women in parliament, meaning that women have no say on matters that affect their lives.

“If you want to be influential in the political arena, you need to influence policy,” Ms Betty Murungi, a social justice advocate, recently told female entrepreneurs and corporate managers in Nairobi.

WHEN Maude Taruvinga votes in new elections this year, she will be voting for her local female politician as she has placed her hopes for a better future on the presence of more women in country’s legislature.

A MEMBER of the Presidential Advisory Council on International Relations, Ambassador Akinjide Osuntokun, has stressed the need to overcome the country’s cultural problem before women can play the correct role in politics.

The violation of women’s rights both at the national and domestic strata have become burning and vexatious issues. What we find happening in this country as regards the denial to women of certain privileges and rights, much more pervades other nations of the world to some varying degree and extent. In some countries women are never heard but they are only seen and are not offered opportunities to make their contributions to national growth and development.

Ahead of a tripartite elections next year the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has shown the world that it is moving with time by setting a deliberate policy to allow women in the country pay 25 per cent less the  nomination fees of parliamentary and local government elections.

The female aspirants, Newstime Africa understands, will pay K 150,000.00 only for the parliamentary race while those going for the ward councillorship will cough K 15,000.00 only.