MORE ROOM FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS – OTIKO

The National Women's Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Madam Otiko Afisah Djaba has called on women not to limit their tenacity to the domestic arena, but to persevere to the top of the political ladder.

Speaking on Multi TV's Minority Caucus, Madam Otiko explained that though the world of politics has been dominated by men over the years, there has always been the opportunity for women to prove their worth. “Up until the end of World war I when opportunities were created for women to take up jobs in various sectors of the economy, they were confined to the homes to cook, wash, take care of the kids and warm the bed of their husbands. However when they were employed in the mainstream economy, they excelled. They brought the warmth, diligence, efficiency, and tenacity that they applied at home, to their profession. The fact is that when you appoint an equally qualified woman to a certain position, she is bound to do far better than her male counterpart. We can participate meaningfully, to nation building at various levels”.

According to the NPP Women's Organiser, though constitutions have guaranteed equal rights for both men and women, a number of factors have inhibited the woman from realizing her full potential. She stated that activities like incessant household chores, early marriages, and early pregnancies have stalled the woman's rise to the top. She recollected how girls had to drop out of school midway because they had gotten pregnant, or were forced into marriage, thereby derailing their rise to academic and professional success.

Madam Djaba recognized the pioneering role some Ghanaian women had played in serving as a beacon for others to follow. She mentioned Justice Annie Ruth Jiagge, Ghana's first female judge of the superior court and an inspiring advocate for women's rights, Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, and Mrs. Agnes Chigabatia, NPP Parliamentary candidate for Builsa North, as some of the Nation's women in politics, who give hope, that indeed the political arena has room for women.

Madam Otiko Djaba also congratulated the administration of President J. A. Kufuor for introducing social intervention policies like the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Free Maternal care, Capitation Grant, School Feeding Programme, and the Livelihood Empopwerment Against Poverty (LEAP) among others which according to her immensely improved the lives of especially women and children. She also congratulated the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo for his brilliant proposed policy of making basic education free up to the Senior High School level, explaining that it will provide a better opportunity for the girl child to be educated.

Also on the programme to champion the role of women in politics was the NPP parliamentary candidate for Builsa North and former Upper East Regional Chairperson of the NPP, Mrs. Agnes Chigabatia. She disagreed with the notion that politics is the preferred preserve of the male specie, advocating that politics is about empowerment and development of which women are an integral part of. Mrs. Chigabatia expressed her support for calls on Political Parties to assign quotas for women explaining that the woman's time is split between domestic and professional duties thus putting her at a disadvantage when the time comes for her to criss-cross the length and breadth of her constituency, to canvass for votes. “Affirmative action is always good if it is meant to strengthen the vulnerable group”, she said. According to Mrs. Chigabatia, the political pedestal is an excellent platform for women to show how they will apply their sympathy, love and hard work in their domestic life to their political career. “After all”, she said, “politics is about identifying the best way to enhance the lives of the people”.

The Builsa North Parliamentary aspirant expressed her disappointment at the level of female representation in the country's legislature which currently stands at about 8.9%, stating that it is not a true reflection of the country's 51% female population. Se called on women in politics not to bicker about unnecessary partisan issues but rather “come together so that we can organize and empower ourselves and work to the top”.

The two female political giants urged the women of Ghana to vote for Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo and the NPP, to secure their future.

YAW P. K. MANU
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