Vera Chirwa is a prominent human rights activist in Malawi, a prison rapporteur for the African Union -‒ and someone who was imprisoned for speaking out against authoritarian rule under former head of state Hastings Kamuzu Banda. But, this pedigree wasn’t enough to earn her a shot at Malawi’s presidency during the May elections.
Chirwa’s candidacy was rejected a few days ago by the newly-formed opposition coalition, Mgwirizano, which decided on a male candidate. Republican Party leader Gwanda Chakuamba will be the coalition torch bearer in the upcoming poll.
While Chirwa has pledged her support for Mgwirizano, the group’s decision still rankles: ”They rejected me because I am a woman,” she says.
This activist isn’t the only woman to cry foul as Malawi moves towards general elections later this year. Those who are contesting party polls to become candidates for parliament also complain of difficulties -‒ including harassment from voters who believe women have no business in politics.
”Culture comes in a lot. In families men believe women can’t lead ‒- and women themselves then think we can’t lead,” explains Makoko Chirwa, Director of Women’s Voice, a non-governmental organisation.
”This goes back to the way we were raised, that the women’s place is the home where she’s relegated into the kitchen.”
Steven Duwa, executive director of the Pan-African Civic Educators Network (Pacenet), says a survey by his NGO shows most female parliamentary hopefuls have lost in the primaries because political parties do not believe women can win national elections.
”Regrettably, no political party appears fully committed to giving a chance to women to run on their ticket,” he said. Pacenet is currently managing a project to promote women’s participation in politics.
The result of all this is that Malawi may have difficulty in meeting a 1997 commitment taken under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to have women occupy 30% of legislative seats by 2005.
Anger at the conduct of the primaries has prompted the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) to order re-runs in at least 20 constituencies where it received complaints from women.
The Gender Electoral Support Network (GESN), a coalition of women’s rights groups, claims the UDF skewed its primaries in favour of men by giving them more campaign funds than women.
GESN spokesperson Reen Kachere says the group would like to meet the leaders of the three main parties -‒ the UDF, the Malawi Congress Party and the National Democratic Alliance -‒ to lobby for better treatment of potential women candidates.
While women make up more than 50% of Malawi’s 12-million people, only 17 of the 193 people sent to parliament after the 1999 poll were female.
Last year, activists proposed that Malawi’s constitution should be amended to allow the president to nominate women to at least 20% of seats in the house. The head of state, Bakili Muluzi, won accolades when he announced his support for constitutional reform -‒ although this has yet to be matched with actions.
But, Osborne Manyowa, a resident of Malawi’s commercial centre -‒ Blantyre -‒ says women are partly to blame for being sidelined.
”They make a lot of noise but fall when it comes to the real push. Instead they waste time entertaining politicians by dancing at their rallies.”
The dancing he refers to dates back to the Banda era when it was compulsory for all women to dance before the head of state, who had declared himself President for life.
Even though the current government rejected the tradition during its 1994 campaign to get into office, it has proved a hard habit to shake. – IPS