By Daily Revelation Editor
The international women’s day celebration is here once again, and as usual speeches, best wishes are being made about how we appreciate our women and their role in society. However, for many, the celebration is mainly centered around the day and not the role of the women folk per see. Trust us, tomorrow we shall be back to business as usual, to wait for March 08, 2023 when more of the same speeches will be made. Boring stuff!
It is our considered view that issues to do with women’s emancipation must not be restricted to a day, as everybody’s focus must be placed on celebrating the role of women in our society through practical actions towards realising that. But to do that our women will have to become their own spokespeople. We have seen the men folk, particularly our politicians always wanting to behave like the starring in the lead up to and on women’s day itself.
They will flood the airwaves with all the eulogies about women empowerment, how we should celebrate our women folk. They will even ask someone to take a video or picture showing them speaking while being surrounded with women who will appear more fascinated with the phenomenon of standing next to this ‘great leader’ than what that leader is spouting about them. The male politicians will utter pronouncements upon pronouncements and thereafter recline in their beautiful chairs, in the knowledge that they will continue making those same pronouncements although real power rests with them and are confident that no woman can take it from them.
They have deliberately done very little in the real practical sense to translate their words into action. It’s more important for the massaging of their egos and political standing to be seen to be speaking for the women in the hopes of getting more votes from them. They know that after they have made those pleasant speeches, they will elicit a feel-good factor in some women they lead, and that will motivate the women to even sing and dance more vigorously for them at campaign events, at airports and other party mobilization activities.
Why is it that during women’s day events the voices that seem to want to be heard the most from are those of men and not women, yet the people holding real power are the same men? So the person who holds power which requires to be shared and is often insecure about sharing the same, should be the one to speak about the women issues! Like seriously?
Credit to President Hakainde Hichilema for appointing several women to powerful positions i.e Vice-President Mutale Nalumango and Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti, but everyone knows that there is still a lot of glaring imbalance favoring men in his appointments. Key ministries of Finance, Home Affairs and Internal Security, Justice, Education, Defence, Agriculture are all held by men, except Health. At UPND party level, the presidency, Secretary General, chairperson elections, spokesperson, national chairman, national youth chairperson are all held by men except the vice-presidency.
Go to the Patriotic Front, the story is the same as men hold the presidency, vice-presidency, Secretary General, spokesperson, national chairperson etc. in the Democratic Party (DP), the presidency is in the hands of a man, vice-presidency woman, secretary general (male). Across the political spectrum almost all the political parties save for the Edith Nawakwi led-FDD, the NDC of Saboi Imboela and Chishala Kateka’s, are male-led, including the Socialist Party (SP), MMD, PeP, PNUP, UNIP, PAC just to mention a few.
The woman will have to play an active leading role alongside the other genuine male counterparts to address the imbalance that has made them play second fiddle to the men. Stop settling for the few handouts given to you after singing and dancing at the airports and campaign events, and begin to be more assertive on the high table where the real deals are made. While you are dancing at the airport, a male politician who accompanied you to the same airport is dressed smartly to make an impression to the President or some senior government official, seeking an appointment with the head of state or some influential person in government for a job, or some business venture somewhere.
While you were dancing at the airport, the male politician was busy cutting deals with some government official or party leader. No wonder, it is mostly the males facing prosecution for wrong doing, because many have overstretched their positions at the high table to engage in all sorts of illegal activities.
We are aware the challenges facing women in realising their position in society, with many staying away because of several challenges, among them sexual harassment from corrupt and immoral men. This is where we need to raise our collective conscience as a society to do all we can to bring stiff accountability against all those who act as stumbling blocks against women empowerment in our society.
We noticed something fascinating during the recent memorial service of late president Michael Sata, where former president Edgar Lungu delivered the key speech, in that while several women appeared more content with just greeting the former president and to be seen to be there, their male counterparts seemed more inclined towards being seen to be closer to Lungu. One can speculate. Was it to make an impression especially with the impressive crowds which turned up to send a message that they were more closer to the president and therefore have his blessings to succeed him as PF leader?
Why is it that out of all the names that are being mentioned to take over from Lungu, no name belonging to a women is being mentioned? Does it mean that the women are not ambitious enough to lead? We saw the same during the struggle for the MMD presidency after Rupiah Banda lost the 2011 elections, no woman came forward to actually aspire to take over from him.
Our beloved women folk, demand your place at the high table. Men will not give up their privileged position without an unyielding fight from you. In fact they will be more satisfied just giving speeches to soothe your senses year in year out without delivering on their words.
And lest we forget, it is fascinating to note that in this same nation where speeches are made about women’s rights, there are those who are proposing to amend the constitution to allow bigamy, so that men can marry as many wives as they wish, further subjugating the woman’s standing in a home, where the very facet of a nation is developed from. Any leader worth his salt must outrightly say no to this nonsense and deny it even the chance for any meaningful hearing. It is a lot of nonsense which must not be tolerated.
Women take your stand, your place is at the high table and not dancing amasha at the airport and other party functions.
Happy International women’s day
More @ www.dailyrevelationzambia.com
