As Zambia moves closer to the presidential and parliamentary general elections on September 28, the country’s political terrain is still rough for women like Forum for Democracy and Development president Edith Nawakwi to win the number one spot.
In a country where more than 60% of voters are female, Zambia has failed to reach the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) target of 30% representation of women in politics and decision making positions by the end of 2005. The SADC declaration on gender and development was signed in 1997 and nine years later Zambia still falls short, especially when compared with other countries in the region.
At the end of last year, 97 Tanzanian women were sworn in as MPs bringing representation to 30,4%, to become the third country after Mozambique and South Africa to have achieved this goal.
Currently, there are only 18 women among Zambia’s 150 elected MPs. Even though it is the highest number in 41 years of its independence, the country is a long way from having a reasonable number of women holding key political positions in Parliament and government. The president can nominate an additional eight MPs — incumbent, President Levy Mwanawasa is seen to be insensitive to gender issues, with the eight MPs he nominated being all male. Furthermore, on an executive level, Zambia has only four female ministers in a 19-person Cabinet.
Gender activists say a lack of political will among most political parties towards the implementation of the SADC declaration on gender and development, coupled with cultural, social and economic factors, continue to hamper women politicians when it comes to securing public offices.
Zambians, optimistic for a more representative political landscape, hope that the campaign by lobby group Women in Politics to compel all political parties to implement the 30% SADC target will be put into action. The lobby group is also conducting non-partisan civic voter registration education. This, it hopes, will promote female emancipation countrywide.
Despite expressing interest in contesting for the presidency, the Forum for Democracy and Development’s leader Edith Nawakwi — who is also a popular former Zambian finance minister — has no blessings of women organisations.
Retired veteran politician, Gwendoline Konie and former first lady Vera Chiluba, who is also the women’s chairperson in the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy, added salt to Nawakwi’s wounds by stating that Zambia was not yet ready for a female president.
Konie, who previously led the Social Democratic Party to the 2001 presidential elections, in which she emerged last of the 11 candidates, said Zambia’s political pace and environment was not conducive for female presidential aspirants to excel.
But Nawakwi has vowed to continue pursuing her dream of ruling Zambia after the election. — Gender Links
Hone Liwanga is a member of the Gender and Media Southern Africa Network in Zambia.