Well, while some of the reasons for the lack of presence of women in politics
is true, I feel that one of the main reasons is also that by and large, our
men tend to not take us seriously when it comes ot leadership roles. We do
come from a very chauvinistic society, and although I must say some of our
men are trying to change this attitude, it is still very much in play.
However, I think it is up to the women to cnahge this attitude by involving
ourselves in politics and vying for positions of leadership. I feel that the
best way we can achieve this ot for us women to start looking around in our
immediate surroundings, in our neighbourhoods and identifying the issues,
problems and organizing on the local level to address these issues, and
formulating solutions. These grassroots organizations are the beginings of
larger, more influnetial voices to be reckoned with.
Jabou Joh
Jabou Joh
In a message dated 10/8/2001 11:17:34 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
>
> I like to quote the late Great Osagyfo Nkrumah that " the degree of
> development of any country can be measured by the political maturity of its
> women".
>
> Beran
>
>
>
>
> Women in Politics
>
>
>
> The Independent (Banjul)
>
> COLUMN
> October 5, 2001
> Posted to the web October 8, 2001
>
> Aisha Dabo
> Banjul, the Gambia
>
> Gambian women have contributed tremendously in charting the political
> destinies of their men-folk by helping them to be considered and known. But
> women themselves never really manifest political leadership ambitions. They
> make great politicians, they even represent 51% of the population, but yet
> within political parties, women are relegated.
>
> The percentage of women in the National Assembly is edifying enough with
> Mrs. Cecilia Cole as the lone female in the fifty-member legislature.
> Although Mrs. Cole is deputy speaker of the House, this is no consolation as
> President Jammeh nominated her based on her being a member of the civil
> society, rather than representing any political party. Since the start of
> general elections in 1960 when the Colony and the Provinces were finally
> given the right to vote, a woman had contested a seat in parliament. That
> woman was Mrs. Augusta Jawara aka Darling, first wife of Gambia's former
> head of state
>
> Sir. Dauda Jawara. She was a candidate for the APPP later renamed PPP. Mrs.
> Jawara was said to have made an affective campaign despite the lack of
> adequate media coverage at the time. According to records, she won 1, 870
> votes out of 183.000. She did not win a seat in parliament but the figure
> she gained was at that time very significant. The fact that as a woman Mrs.
> Jawara had the capability to contest for political office in the midst of
> men in the sixties was seen as a big step-forward for women.
>
> This was however a short lived phenomenon as the other parliamentary
> elections that followed 1965, 1966, 1972, 1977 up to 1982 never saw a woman
> candidate.
>
> In 1982 almost 22 years after Mrs. Augusta Jawara, a woman contested and won
> in the then thirty-six -member parliament. Mrs. Nymasata Sanneh Bojang of
> the PPP won the Kombo North constituency. She was a member of the PPP
> Central Committee. During the appointments, Mrs. Bojang was sadly enough,
> only offered the post of parliamentary secretary.
>
> In 1987 she did not contest the elections and was subsequently dropped by
> the PPP. Up to 1996 no woman contested.
>
> All along this period no constitution in The Gambia ever gave recognition to
> women.
>
> Interestingly enough, one woman played a historical role in the making of
> The Gambia's constitution in 1961 in London during what was called the
> Constitutional Conference. Mrs. Rachel Palmer is that woman. After the
> constitution of 1959 was rewritten by the colonial administration, the
> political parties of the period wanted a new constitution because the former
> was somehow controversial according to them. The conference in London was
> attended by the APP (or PPP), UP, Congress and Democrats. These parties
> formed two groups: that of the radicals who wanted an all out independence
> and those who wanted gradual independence. As these two parties could not
> reach any semblance of agreement for the future of the country, they choose
> Mrs. Palmer who was then a member of the civil society to be a mediator.
> According to records Mrs. Palmer's efforts harmonized the conference and
> brought rapprochement between the two groups. Sadly, even though Mrs. palmer
> was a mediator in the Constitutional Conference of 1961 in London, that very
> constitution had no place for women.
>
> What has really kept Gambian women and continues to keep them off from
> political leadership? With the colonial system, which favoured boys'
> education over girls, the administration worked with men rather than women.
>
> The British system, under the segregated Victorian era, had not yet given
> women equal rights back in the home country. It was therefore the same
> system they had brought with them into Africa.
>
> What they failed to realize was that in traditional Africa, although men are
> the heads of families, women had they own areas of authority which men dared
> not challenge.
>
> During the pre-colonial period in Africa and especially in the Senegambian
> region, women played a great role in chieftaincy, kingship and succession.
> There were Queens more courageous and brave than men in handling state
> matters with competence.
>
> During the colonial rule in The Gambia, Akus or Creoles were the ones
> predominantly sending their daughters to school.
>
> The low rate of educated women in those days, gave these female pioneers the
> determination to aim for high posts in the different political parties and
> this in-turn made women into faithful voters.
>
> Presently The Gambia has many educated women who can vie for political
> leadership.
>
> The main problem is that the population now accepts as gospel truth the
> misconception that a male leader is better than a female one. Even women
> nowadays seem to feel more secure with a corrupt male leader than a good
> female leader.
>
> For women to gain or regain population trust today, a campaign of
> sensitization is very necessary. Both men and women should contribute in
> this campaign for the betterment of all. Therefore, it is high time
> political parties agree with APGWA on the quota of women to be nominated as
> contestants in any constituency all over the country. It will be better if
> political parties themselves take the initiative to appoint women to contest
> in the coming parliamentary elections. But even where the quota is agreed
> upon, the issue of political demands and interests will arise.
>
> It is known that political parties contest elections to win and in-line with
> this school of thought, they put all the assets (human and material
> resources) on their side. Therefore the political demand is that to be able
> to secure the popular vote and be nominated as candidates, parties prefer
> male candidates to female.
>
> Except, it seems, the party wants to loose.
>
> Granted, the female youth is less prominent when it comes to civic and
> political engagements and activities.
>
> This however can be counteracted by the fact that the female youth also play
> prominent roles in civic work through fund raising activities, writing
> letters and catering. To change this biased social class system, women need
> to reinforce their participation and representations at all levels of
> society so that they can become active participants in the world of politics
> as they are the paramount stake-holders in nation building. In this regard,
> men should contribute and help women in their struggle for political
> equality in The Gambia.
>
>
>
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