By Amin Kef (Ranger)
In a Press Statement released by the Campaign for Good Governance dated 17th April, 2023 and captioned, “Award of Political Party Symbols: A Call for Political Parties to Prioritize Women” is said to be consistent with the provisions of GEWE and PEA Acts of 2022.
The rights-based organization went further to state that the public will recall how on Thursday, 17th January 2023, on the occasion of the Presidential assent into law of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022, after its passage through Parliament, Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) did not only thanked the President for listening to the voices of women across the country), but also congratulated the women of Sierra Leone on the historic achievement and called on all stakeholders – including Political Parties – to take concrete actions to ensure the full implementation of the GEWE Act of 2022.
Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) maintained that as we approach the general elections slated for 24th June, 2023, we are at a defining moment in our collective commitments, as a nation, towards the actualization of gender inclusion and parity in both the psyche and body politics of Sierra Leone.
It also stated how in the coming days, political parties will embark on their internal processes of selecting/electing aspirants who will be awarded the party symbols for various elective positions in Parliament and at the Local Government.
The entity continued that as the gatekeepers of women’s meaningful political participation in public life, it is calling on all political parties – especially the country’s two leading Political Parties, the APC and the SLPP – to make true their commitment to the meaningful inclusion and effective participation of women in politics.
Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) also stated that it wants to remind political parties of the 30% representation quota for women in Parliament and Local Councils provided for by the GEWE Act of 2022 and the 1 in 3 nominations of female candidates provision in the Public Elections (PEA) Act of 2022.
The CGG said it wants to remind political parties of the following: A political party’s nomination of at least 30% of women in Parliamentary and Local Council elections does not suggest that 30% of women will be elected into public office and went on to say therefore, they are calling on political parties to nominate women in ELECTABLE districts and put them on top of the district list.
The CGG also pointed out that the PEA 2022 provides that for every 3 candidates nominated by a political party, one should be a woman but, however, lamented that the law stops short of where women should be placed on the list. It called on political parties to prioritize women and put them number 1 in every 3 nominations.
The entity went further to say the GEWE and the PEA Acts 2022 have legal penalties for failing to respect the provisions of the law concluding by reminding all political parties that the women of Sierra Leone are patiently watching and waiting to see the responsiveness of political parties to the aspirations of women as enshrined in the GEWE and PEA Acts of 2022.
It affirmed that the women have played their part and it is now over to political parties to demonstrate commitment and goodwill and show what role they want their mothers, sisters, daughters, cousins, and nieces to play in public life in Sierra Leone maintaining that they are Waiting and Watching!
