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Sierra Leone: 50/50 Condemns APC High Election Fee
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Concord Times (Freetown)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Ibrahim Tarawallie
Erstwhile president of the 50/50 group Wednesday condemned the two hundred and fifty thousand Leones (Le250,000) charge levied on female candidates vying for the local council elections by the All Peoples Congress (APC).
Speaking at a four-day strategic planning workshop organised by the 50/50 Group, Dr. Nemata Eshun-Baiden said because female candidates were not breadwinners of their respective homes, the party should exclude them from paying such an exorbitant amount.
The charge levied by the APC is a strategy to discourage female candidates from contesting the local council elections. We are strongly against it, she complained.
Dr Eshun-Baiden had told allAfrica.com in October last year that the previous proportional representation system was a more gender-friendly electoral system.
"Even though they introduced what we consider to be a very gender unfriendly constituency-based system, we women have been able to get at least 16 women in parliament. We are not satisfied. We would like to have first 30 percent and later 50 percent of our women in parliament and we are determined to get it.
"We have asked the Constitutional Review Commission to give us a 30 percent quota which is in all of the international demands, mandates, all of the conventions."
50/50 Group Coordinator, Iyesha Josiah said they were not provoking their men folks but that they believe in inclusiveness adding, if we can achieve that then we can achieve good governance.
We are advocating for women all over the country. We are putting together a talent data base for women, she said, adding, we are not dancers for politicians.
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She said the objective of the strategic planning workshop is to build their members in-depth understanding of the organisations mandate and longer term targets.
Erstwhile minister of health and sanitation, Abator Thomas said they were not working for themselves but for the interest of all women in the country.
Late last year women in the country fought hard to pass an amendment to the constitution that would set aside 30 percent of all elected and appointed political positions for women.
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