The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace under the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (CCJP) has urged women to consider contesting in various positions in the next year’s General Elections.
Speaking at a meeting held in the area of Traditional Authority Chiseka in Lilongwe over the weekend, CCJP Gender Officer for the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Mwai Chisi, said time had come for women to go beyond mere voting or morale boosters for male contestants.
With financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), CCJP is implementing a project whose major objective is to enhance women’s participation in active politics.
Among other strategies, CCJP is conducting awareness and sensitization meetings with the goal of increasing female representation in various political leadership roles such as members of parliament, president, and ward councillors nationwide.
Chisi revealed that the organization is currently conducting capacity-building programs to help women comprehend their roles in politics and how to align their ideas with the nation’s development agendas.
“Out of 193 Members of Parliament only 44 female Members of Parliament are in the chamber representing 23 percent, so more effort must be made to challenge underlying attitudes and beliefs about women’s role in society,” said Chisi
“Malawians female politicians should support and campaign for other female leaders, women leaders need to work together and inspire other women to move into positions of power, powerful and well-known female politicians could be encouraged to visit schools and conduct political leadership talks and lobby political parties to adopt statutory safeguards that will help to promote the participation of women in politics and competitiveness in elections,” explained Chisi.
In his address, Allan Chilupani, Assistant Community Development Officer for the Lilongwe District Council, emphasized that women play a crucial role as catalysts for change in development, underscoring the importance of boosting their involvement in decision-making positions.
Chilupani stressed the need of raising awareness to debunk misconceptions that hinder women from engaging in politics.
“Department of Gender Affairs at the Lilongwe District Council, together with CCJP, we are in partnership making the people aware so we are doing awareness meetings on gender issues. So the main purpose of this awareness meeting is to make the communities aware about the importance of assisting and promoting women to take leadership roles in the country,” said Chilupani.
Senior Group Mkangamira has welcomed this initiative and urged people to refrain from using derogatory language towards women, asserting that such behavior discourages women from participating in politics.
He called on CCJP to invite female councilors and members of parliament to his area to motivate others and allow them to grasp the specific needs of his community.
CCJP is collaborating with its parish structures and government partners to conduct civic education and involvement workshops among Parish committees.
The project is being implemented in seven districts of Dowa, Mchinji, Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Ntchisi, Salima, and Lilongwe.
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