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Liberia: Women Re-Awaken 30 Percent Participation in Govt
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The NEWS (Monrovia)
20 February 2008
Posted to the web 20 February 2008
George Bardue
Monrovia
The struggle for women to participate in government on par with their male counterparts has again come to the fore as more than 60 Liberian women gathered at the Ministry of Gender and Development yesterday to discuss their participation in political dispensation.
At a two-day forum organized by the International Republican Institute (IRI), funded by the USAID, Montserrado County District#1 Representative Alomiza Ennos-Barr told participants that she would do everything to ensure that a bill seeking 30% of women participation in government is enacted.
She noted that women have the potential to participate in national politics, as such, "let us fight the men because they cannot give us power easily."
Representative Barr observed that power was a sweet thing that men were not prepared to give to women.
"We must ensure to get 30 percent participation in government because it will not be easy," Barr said.
She thanked IRI for organizing the forum because, according to her, it was the first time Liberian women were fully involved in politics.
She called on women to get together and do something so that men will not continue to dominate politics.
"Men took decisions that are affecting us today; women were bread winners during the war years when men could not do it; so we have potentials to do more," she stressed.
In remarks, Gender and Development Minister Varbah Gayflor encouraged the women to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.
She called on them to go back to their communities and get involved in development.
Minister Gayflor challenged women to prepare themselves for mass participation in government and politics.
For his part, IRI Resident Country Director Mr. Monte McMurchy told the women that the forum was an opportunity for change.
He urged them to make choices because the future is in their hands.
He observed that the capacity of women was limited due to doubts on their minds.
Foreign Minister Olubanke King-Akerele who proxied for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf recounted the role Liberian women have played in local and world politics.
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Minister Akerele recalled that Liberian women demonstrated themselves during the peace process, and urged the participants to consider the result of the forum as a lead way.
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