. Nawakwi

By STEPHEN  KAPAMBWE –

“IT is a fact that as mothers, women have a caring heart for the people. Just as they prudently manage their homes, women will manage better the affairs or our country so that we all benefit from the national cake.”
This is what Non-Governmental Organization Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Chairperson Beatrice Grillo had to say when the women movement declared its support for female presidential candidates contesting the 20th January, 2015 presidential election.
The election has been called to find a successor for late President Michael Sata who died on 28th October, 2014 in London.
According to the Zambian Constitution, an election should be held within 90 days of the death or incapacitation of an incumbent leader that results in a vacancy in the republican presidency.
Of the political parties vying for the presidency, the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has already distinguished itself by being the only party fielding a women in the name of its leader Edith Nawakwi.
Mrs Nawakwi carries a rich resume in both her political and public life.
Her educational background in economics and business management from University of London Imperial College provides the perfect backdrop for a resume of one who became the first female minister of Finance (1998) in the whole of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Mrs Nawakwi assumed the FDD leadership after the late General Christon Tembo retired from active politics at a dramatic party convention in Kabwe.
She has served as FDD leader since April, 2005 after starting off as the party’s secretary general in 2001 before she assumed the vice presidency.
She held cabinet portfolios in the ministries of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Energy and Water Development, State for Energy & Water Development and Finance.
Although boasting of such a rich background in the public service as well as in politics, it is yet to be seen whether the country is ready for a female president.
Former first lady Christine Sata is the other female presidential candidate who might join Mrs Nawakwi in the presidential race.
But Dr Kaseba has to beat eight aspiring candidates seeking to represent the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) in the presidential poll.
The PF originally had ten presidential aspirants before the number fell to nine after Lusaka Mayor Mulenga Sata withdrew from the race.
Should she emerge victorious in the PF, she will meet Mrs Nawakwi on the campaign trail.
Mrs Grillo feels time has come for Zambia to put a woman in State House.
“Since Independence, men have ruled this great nation. We have seen what they have and have not been able to do. The women have supported our men to ascend to the leadership of our country and now it is time that we have a female president,” she told reporters in Lusaka recently.
She said although being non-partisan, the women movement had decided to back all female candidates.
She urged Zambians of good will to vote for a female candidate.
She urged all female candidates aspiring for the presidency to publicly declare their candidature and appealed to registered women voters to support their fellow women.
“As women, we are the majority of the registered voters and if we all turn out in numbers, we can make a difference and usher in a female president during the fourth coming election. Let us stand up and be counted by voting for fellow women to be the next president of Zambia,” she said.
The NGOCC said it was unfortunate that while women constitute just over 50 per cent of the population, they continued to be marginalised from participating in national development processes.
It acknowledged some efforts aimed at ameliorating the situation by appointing more women into decision making positions but felt more should be done.
The organisation felt it was unacceptable that 50 years after Independence, there were only four female Cabinet ministers and just 20 female members of Parliament out of the 150 parliamentary seats.
“Key positions in Government have continued to be dominated by men.
This trend needs to be reversed forthwith,” Mrs Grillo said.
Mrs Nawakwi expressed confidence that she would assume victory in the January 20 presidential poll.
She implored the media to provide equal coverage to women and men during the campaign period.
Some sections of society feel women in the country are disadvantaged from taking an active role in politics due to the violent nature of political campaigns.
In the recent past, factions of political party cadres supporting different political candidates have violently clashed prompting calls by concerned members of the public for party leaders to reign in their cadres.
Some people also feel acts of corruption and purported ‘vote buying’ that characterise election campaigns discourage women from getting involved in politics.
This is on account that they may not marshal the big sums of money required to bribe voters like some male candidates do.
The NGOCC has since appealed to candidates running in the January 20 presidential election to promote unity and peace in the country.
The non-Governmental organisation (NGO) has urged all political parties to denounce any form of violence and incline themselves to competing on the basis of issues rather than personal attacks.
The organisation says the country should refocus and put in place a visionary leadership that would stir Zambia to greater prosperity and economic development.
“It is totally unacceptable that 50 years after Independence poverty levels have remained high at 68 per cent. It is unacceptable that today our children, despite attaining education, continue to roam the streets because of lack of employment,” Mrs Grillo said.
She said the country still had cases of women dying in rural areas due to lack of access to adequate health facilities, and that children were still exposed to malnutrition.
Such were the issues political parties were expected to address as they sought to woe voters ahead of the January poll.
The NGOCC believes all the problems facing the country point to substantial inadequacies in leadership.
It feels that successive governments since Independence have not adequately inspired the Zambian people to fully embrace collective effort in shaping the development agenda.
The women movement was of the view that by and large, the country was still devoid of transformative leadership at all levels that could provide a passion for activism.
The movement feels January 20 was yet another opportunity for the country to refocus and chose a leadership that would serve national interest rather than seek personal gain.
The cry by the women movement for female candidates to step forward and contest in the upcoming election was also echoed by PF National Chairperson Inonge Wina who called on women to seek the party’s top position and go on to run for the Republican presidency.
However the appeal by Mrs Wina, who is also Gender and Child Development minister, for female candidates to enter the political arena fell on deaf ears until Dr Kaseba stepped forward.
Dr Kaseba’s decision has been welcomed by some sections of society who argue that even though she was still morning the demise of her spouse, she had a democratic right to seek political office.
But even though the women movement believes time has come to put a woman in Sate House, it remains to be seen if the electorate agree.