Public Agenda (Accra)
Baba Kofi Yaro, Bolga
24 November 2008
Accra — Female electorates in the Upper East Region have been urged to vote massively for any of six women parliamentary candidates contesting this year's election to give the region a good representation in the fight for gender mainstreaming.
According to speakers at a public forum organized by the Centre for Sustainable Development Initiative (CENSUDI), a local NGO seeking the welfare of women and based in Bolgatanga, a vote for women is a vote for development and conflict free election. One of such speakers, Mr. Phillip Ayamba, who is the Executive Director for Community Self-Reliance Centre, said women issues are central to development and for that matter when they are given the opportunity to serve in parliament, they could be placed in a better position to debate for the welfare of women and children who were generally the most vulnerable in society.
He said the ability of women to mobilize and facilitate collective actions cannot be overemphasized and so there was the need to prime women issues in the national agenda and that such advocacy could effectively materialize if women themselves were given the chance to be part of the central law-making body in the country.
Mr. Ayamba noted that even though the 2000 population census put women in the majority, continuous discrimination such as the inability of women to have access to land, production resources and credit facilities has undermined progress in ensuring that women attained full independence.
He indicated that it was only morally right that women who constituted majority of the population voted for their fellow women to go to parliament to take actions on their behalf, arguing that women had vast know-how in home management and could translate this into better policies when given the mandate.
The Executive Director said "women are capable, competent and in a better position to contribute positively to debates in parliament, especially those issues regarding women and children and urged women in the region to rally behind their fellow women vying for the Member of Parliament positions.
Another speaker, Mr. Emmanuel Atogi, a retired civil servant called on women to be peace brokers and peacemakers during the forthcoming general elections.
He called on politicians to restrain their followers from using abusive and libelous languages when they mount the platforms and said rebuff, insults, insinuations inflammatory use of words could charge opponents to revenge thereby creating unnecessary tensions.
Mr. Robert Alagkomah, Head of Programme of CENSUDI said the forum was a follow-up to one previously organized to build the capacity of women parliamentary aspirants in the region. It was also to prepare them for the challenges ahead during the forthcoming election.
The Programme Manager of CENSUDI, Madam Mary-Margaret Issaka, who moderated the function noted that women knew best what was good for them and said they could do better when given the opportunity to serve.
The Programme is being sponsored by Canadian International Development and facilitated by Women Manifesto Coalition and CENSUDI.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Public Agenda. 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.
