Nice pledges to
engender voter civic education
BY MANDY PONDANI
National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) has said it is
geared to conduct voter civic education which is gender responsive in order to
encourage women to take part in political affairs of the country as the 2014
polls draw closer.
Program Manager for the organization Gray Kalindekafe said
this on Friday in Lilongwe upon arrival from Kenya where he attended a number
of meetings organized by United Nations Women Malawi in collaboration with
their Kenyan counterparts.
“It comes out clear that mere lobbying for women’s
involvement in politics is not enough if messages spread across to people are
void of the element of gender equality,” he said.
Kalindekafe pointed out that accredited voter civic education
providers have a crucial role to play in order to ensure that there is a sense
of balance in the way males and females attain political positions.
“NICE is a grassroots organization, we have structures right
in all rural communities and we hope to utilize them to get more women involved
in issues of national interest including politics,” Kalindekafe added.
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Chairperson for parliament’s women caucus Cecilia Chazama
asked organizations lobbying for women’s participation in politics to bear in
mind of the financial constraints faced by Malawian women.
“The fact of the
matter is most women in our country have the motivation to serve their communities
in various portfolios but money remains a problem, you are aware that
campaigns, nominations and many other requirements all need money,” she
explained.
For this reason Chazama advised that Malawi as a country
should pay attention to women’s economic empowerment.
“Organizations can also help in securing financial resources
to drive campaigns for women. As aspirants women fail to produce materials like
posters, t-shirts and brochures on their own and yet they have the potential to
deliver once given the chance,” she added.
Chazama also asked stakeholders on the women political
empowerment project to put retention as one of the priority agendas.
“We can all make noise on how to help women secure positions
in politics as councilors and members of parliament but it would still remain a
mission unaccomplished if we fail to support the already elected women return
their seats,” Chazama narrated.
In the 2004 general elections 24 women made it to the
national assembly but only four of them were able to make it back to the August
house during the 2009 polls.
As the country
prepares for next year’s tripartite polls Chazama said Malawi can seize the
opportunity by encouraging more women to contest as ward councilors in order to
meet the two-thirds majority rule for decision making positions.
END
