MPs divided on gender parity

Page 12, Oct 23, 2010
MPs divided on
gender parity

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) are divided on whether the country should legislate for the achievement of gender parity in representation at various levels of decision making.
While some are of the opinion that the time has come for laws to be put in place to encourage women to offer themselves for elections, others that women should earn their positions on merit and not because of their sex.
The MPs gave these divergent opinions when they contributed to a statement made on the floor of Parliament by the MP for Asante Akim South, Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu on the topic: “Local Government as a strategic site of struggle for gender equity” last Thursday.
In the statement, the MP stated that given the significance of local government in the lives of women, it was regrettable that gender activists had largely ignored local government in their quest for gender equity.
She observed that while efforts were being made to increase the number of women in Parliament and in the Executive, there seemed to be lack of measures in promoting women in local government.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu said international conventions required states to create the conditions that facilitated women’s participation in governance and eliminating gender restrictions for the occupation of certain offices.
She said the problem of lack of women in positions in the country was real, explaining that even though the 1992 Constitution provided for the appointment of people to key positions by the President in consultation with the Council of State, it did not state anything about the gender of the appointees.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu said it was, therefore, important that women take advantage of the forthcoming local level elections to put themselves up as candidates and solicit support of their communities to be voted as assembly women.
The MP expressed the hope that with the increasing status of local government, gender activism in the area of women’s participation in local government would also increase.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu explained that the assumption underpinning the expression that local government was closest to people in general and women in particular and that women who contest election at that level would win with ease, was false.
She, therefore, appealed to the general public to vote massively for women who would contest the election for progress, unity and development.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu asked donor community and the civil society to reduce the number of workshops aimed at building the capacities of women and rather make the funds available to the candidates to cater for their campaign expenses.
Contributing to the statement, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery, called for legislation to ensure that women were well represented at all levels of decision making to fast-track the development of the country.
However, the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, argued that in the provision of education and jobs, women should be given opportunity on merit and not because of their sex.
He said participation in district level elections was crucial to strengthen women to contest in Presidential and Parliamentary elections in future.
The Minister of Youth and Sports and MP for South Dayi, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, urged men assist women in diverse ways to enable women to have the needed courage to contest elections at all levels.
The MP for Bantama, Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, called on the President to work hard in order to fulfil his promise to offer 40 per cent of positions at all levels to women.
Other MPs who contributed to the statement were Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak (Asawase) and Ms Frema Osei-Opare (Ayawaso West Wuogon).