Concord Times (Freetown)
Rachel Horner
23 July 2008
opinion
As Sierra Leonean women cry for a 50/50 representation of men and women in the governance of the country, one may wonder why the task still seems tedious for the 52% female population.
Many men in this part of the world believe that women tend to be pompous, snobbish and arrogant when given power.
Though that ideology is applicable to both men and women, it has proven right for our men going by the exhibited attitude of some women in positions of authority.
In the past few years, some female cabinet ministers have showcased a high level of pomposity which is now serving as a deterrent for more women to be elected into offices.
Female ministers like the former minister for social welfare, gender and children's affairs, Shirley Gbujama, and the current foreign affairs minister, Zainab Hawa Bangura are said to be unfriendly and unlike politicians.
However, women such as the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Kadie Sesay, Hon. Elizabeth Lavallie and current Minister of Energy and Power, Haja Hafsatu Kabbah, have a very good working relationship with the public. Madam Kabbah is very appealing, polite and will respond whenever she is called upon.
For Bangura, some people say she is arrogant, uncompromising and unwelcoming; others say she is unpredictable and some others still like her for her stands.
She was one of the women I admire in the society. I had read many stories talking about her habit in several newspapers. I've even been opportuned to be in some quarters where people speak badly about her but that did not tempt me to make a wrong conclusion about her.
It is normal for everyone not to like someone but it is not good for most people to speak ill about one's personality.
Her appearance (dress code) in public sends a good message even though her facial expression makes one think twice on how best to approach her.
I was happy when it was announced that Mrs. Bangura has been appointed as foreign affairs minister. With her vast knowledge, having worked for some international organizations, I believed she was going to serve the country well.
Not until after her approval by the Parliament, when Concord Times' GenderWatch decided to be constantly writing about her and other female ministers so that the public will be au fait with their activities.
What puzzled me the most was when she was called on her cell phone to book an appointment for an interview, Madam Bangura asked that we talk to her through her secretary. "You should send the questions to my secretary who will look at them and then send them to me. I will answer the questions and then give it to my secretary. I don't have time for any interview," she said.
"What a shame to us women!" I said to myself. I thought she is a mother, a friend and somebody who was at her seat not only to represent the interest of the government but the people of Sierra Leone particularly the suffering women.
She had no time to say 'thanks for calling' or 'good bye.' She just cut the line abruptly. A woman in power indeed! The men will say.
Madam Bangura may not know that there is what is called questioning of answers of the interviewee in interviews and as such we were not going to yield to her command.
Disappointed as we were, we tried to feature another woman who was very much accommodating; Hon. Mabinty Fornah-the youngest Member of Parliament.
A colleague in one of the independent radio stations expressed how she was embarrassed by Mrs. Bangura earlier this year at the Lungi International Airport. She said the minister even went to the extent of threatening to order her being relieved of her job.
Madam Bangura, you are supposed to be a role model and a mentor for young women but it is unfortunate that your relationship with the public is not appealing.
Suffice to say that Madam Bangura has not been in the good books of many people because of her appalling attitude towards the public especially the media.
An older woman recently related Bangura's attitude to trauma. "For all I know, her (Bangura) present unfriendliness is linked to the shock she encountered when she lost the 2002 elections. She still thinks women did not do enough to make her succeed," she said.
Meanwhile, I was to cover the presentation of credentials by the new World Health Organization representative to Sierra Leone on Tuesday at Foreign Affairs Ministry.
On my arrival at the ministry, together with a group of journalists, we were asked to stay outside the office as we were not going to cover the ceremony.
I asked the minister's spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay to confirm if and why we were not allowed to witness the programme but all he could tell us was that: "You are not allowed. Yvette Cole-Smith, the press attaché is sitting outside with you, so it is nothing bad,' he said but WHO communications officer had to apologize to us for the time wasted.
Perhaps this is a clue to why the ministry seems not to be organized. The last time an invitation was sent to our office for the media coverage of a programme at the ministry. On getting to the ministry, our reporter who arrived there before 2pm, which was the stipulated time in the invitation, was informed that the programme has ended. All the reporters at the scene on that fateful day were shocked in disbelief when they were informed that the event's time was reversed as against what was in the invitation. The ministry officials appealed to the journalists to come the next day to continue the coverage. To their dismay the next morning, these reporters were told to go back because their presence was no longer needed. Why were they invited in the first instance, you may ask?
Gbujama also displayed such attitude during her tenure. On a particular Saturday in 2007, a group of women at Wilberforce visited her to undertake a bob-a-job exercise at her place. But on setting eyes on them, Mrs Gbujama insulted and sent them out of her house.
She sped off with her vehicle splashing water on the women.
It made me wonder and asked: Are these the women we keep advocating for their empowerment? Is this the reward people get for advocating for female development?
Clearly, we don't advocate for self aggrandizement but for women to look back at those that will come after them. Females that had the opportunity to attain certain heights in government should work in the interest of those looking up to them as role models. They should be a good example so that more women will be voted into offices.
Anyway, my advice is that you are not only there for yourself and your family. Whatever bad attitude you display today will reflect on women's chances of getting into positions of authority in the future.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Concord Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Fellow, most of these so called journalist are only praise singers. One other thing I realized is that, Africans dont practice party politic, they practice power politice. Whereever power moves, is where they go.People dont just have respect for themselves.These fake reporters always want to write something that would interest the current government.
The problem Sierra Leone had always had to grabble with is its fourth Estate. The Sierra Leonean media practitioners think the only good article for public consumption is blackmailing Public figures. Look at the bad media coverage that the last government received. The media practitioners made thier readers believed that there was no good work done by that government even though they were au fait with the fact that the government only gained controlled of all its territories in 2002 with 90 percent of the countries infrastructure in ruin, no industry and 80% of its citizen displaced or in refugee camps. No media house ever reported that in the five years of that government over 300 schools were built and or repaired, all displaced persons were returned, and most of the public workers never went for months without their salaries. All they reported was no electricity in Freetown. No wonder why Shirley Gbujama a once friendly woman became rude as alleged. Do you also recall the media bashing Zainab received while she was head of the State Lottery? How can she not be jittery about the media? Please press men and women, stop blackmailing people in authority for your own selfish ends. That said madam Minister, you have to dine with the devil since you have joined the feast. But be mindful of how you dine with them.