‘Vote for female contestants in district assembly elections’
The Member of Parliament for Ada, Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, has urged all women delegates to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) conference to throw their weight behind female contestants in the district assembly elections.
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She said Ghana could not afford to continuously have a few women in leadership positions.
“There are few women contesting and I think their positions must not be taken away by the male counterparts. We need to be strong and fight for positions that will enable us to participate actively in policy formulation and decision- making processes,” she explained.
Mrs Cudjoe-Ghansah made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra.
According to her, women should be encouraged to come out to serve the nation with all humility and sense of purpose.
“The women contesting are very bold, so please do not let us deny them the opportunity to serve the nation,” she stressed.
“The NDC, as a party, believes in women empowerment and the upcoming elections must be supported by all women. We need a number of women to also show up at the parliamentary level as well”.
Overview
Concerning the declining number of women in policy making and leadership roles, Mrs Cudjoe-Ghansah said she believed that gender inclusiveness in public policy formulation and development processes should be upheld by all women.
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“Men normally overshadow women by assuming various positions, thereby discouraging them to participate in national discourse at all levels of governance.”
“They must also be seen as crusaders in the fight against corruption and other social vices,” she stressed.
One of democracy’s major principles is human rights, which include the political rights of men and women. This means that women must participate fully and equally in politics and in all decision making processes, including parliamentary activities.
Increase in women participation in local politics would not only enhance local governance, but also directly help the electorate to respond to the needs and aspirations of the local people.
Importance of women
Women constitute more than 50 per cent of the 25 million Ghanaian population but their share of political and public office appointments is miserable in spite of years of continuous public education by non-governmental organisations and women groups. Measures such as affirmative action and nomination of women for public offices in recent times have only made minimal impact in closing the gap between women and men in leadership positions.
Out of the 133 women who contested 102 parliamentary seats, only 29, that is, 21.8 per cent, won and were sworn in as parliamentarians in the 2012 general election.
In 2000, the number of aspiring MPs female were 101 but only 19 were elected, constituting eight per cent of the then 200-member parliament.
Although women would want to be in the mainstream of political activities, most of them recoiled into their shells because of their educational background.To win the support of the electorate, women are required to outshine their male counterparts in constructive arguments, debates and presentation of ideas.