GAMCOTRAP Celebrates International Women’s Day, 8 March
Friday 17th March 2006

The theme for this year’s celebration International Women’s day is “Women’s Participation in Leadership, Politics and Decision Making”. The theme is most appropriate the world over, the terrain seems set for increased women’s participation in top decision making positions with women increasingly asserting their rights to all decision making positions hitherto dominated by men.

On the African continent countries like Liberia have come up with the first female President through the electoral process. In Rwanda we have seen the country going beyond the 30% recommended quota by the UN for women in Parliament. This trend can be discerned in other countries in Africa. Similarly, in other parts of the world women are asserting their rights to be represented in decision making positions and the statistics are steadily increasing. This is a very positive trend for women of the world, particularly African women.

However a general overview has shown that the figures are still not impressive as most of these positions are still showing tokenism of women in all decision making positions.

There are several factors responsible for this. This paper will outline the progress so far within a broader framework as described in CEDAW report on women and decision making. It will show the factors in the Gambian context and how some of these factors need to be taken into consideration to see increased women’s participation in top decision making positions.

For women to participate effectively in politics and to take on decision making positions the political will should be clear. Hitherto, political power in terms of occupying top political positions is still dominated by men.

The political will needed in this respect is to recognise the recommendations of the United Nations to enable women to be visible and open up the doors for them to contest.

While this needs to be done, there is also the need to recognise the participation of women and the nature of their participation.

Participation
When we talk of women’s participation there are different understandings of participation. Participation from an integrative perspective does not strategically address the gender imbalances at all levels of decision making positions. In the Gambia, for example, women have always been participating effectively in the political process by voting in men who they have trusted in pushing their concerns. However, the situation so far has not improved women’s strategic interests and concerns. The Matrimonial Bill and The African protocol on women’s rights are cases in point. While the Matrimonial Bill has been neglected totally by Parliamentarians in the first Republic, The National Assembly Members of the second Republic placed reservations on all the articles that promote women’s strategic interests and concerns. The women’s movement is still negotiating and lobbying the National assembly Members (NAMS) and there is no sign of success. The women of Gambia have participated in voting National Assembly Members yet this has not yielded positive results when it comes to women’s interest. Therefore more women are needed to vie for elective positions to move the agenda for women.

While women are present in parliament the representation is dismally low and they cannot make any impact to promote women’s rights. Women need to be in their numbers to influence any change for the constituency of women in the country. Integrative type of participation is not an effective way of engaging women in leadership positions. The reason being that they are only there as symbols whose presence are referred to when arguments are made to an audience of women to legitimise why one should remain in power. This has so far been the trend in both the first and second regime. Integrative participation implies that the portfolio is censored and there is hardly any decision taken without clearance from a higher authority who may or may not be convinced of gender equality and women’s emancipation. This form of participation should be acknowledged but must be moved further to an instrumental participatory process where women themselves see the need to be part of the process of change that will define their interest in the process, hence emancipatory participation. This process is what can be likened to the example from Liberia, where the newly elected President was a manifestation of such participation. Men and women where given fair representation and democracy was allowed to flourish for people to make their choice taking into consideration the interest of their country at heart.

 This is sustainable and will bring out the desired effects for the majority of people in a country. This level of participation goes beyond the rhetoric but is manifested in the sacrifices that people make for the poorer echelons of society who constitute over 50% of the population. If one is out to make a change you move the process beyond oneself and take the lofty goal of coming to consensus regarding the issue, which does not seem to be the case. Is it a manifestation of masculine principle of power tussle where every one is out to carve a niche borrowing from the rhetoric of the current debates. Women are yet to learn these ropes and I doubt whether it should be the trend for women if they are now asserting their legitimate rights to take up positions hitherto dominated by men. However, climbing the ladder to such powerful positions is not easy for women but they must not relent in aspiring for such positions when they have all the things it requires to get there. They will be faced with formidable challenges from both men and women due to cultural reasons.

Despite all these cultural restraints, the good news is that statistics show women are gradually making their way into the political arena. Women accounted for 10% of the members of the legislative bodies in 1995. Today they make up 15.6% of parliamentarians worldwide. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the number of countries with a critical mass of women parliamentarians-defined as being at least 30%- has increased from five in 1997 to 16 in 2004. However, progress is occurring at a snail’s pace. Women cannot afford to remain on the margins of political decision making, which has such a major impact on other areas of women’s lives. Along with the recognition of women’s participation as a human right, there has also been a growing acknowledgement that a country’s political, social and economic development leaps forward when the percentage of women in politics who support a women’s agenda reaches critical mass. In many instances, gender responsive policies have helped transform the lives of poor women (CEDAW, the Optional Protocol and Women in Decision-Making, WEDO).

In The Gambia, the statistics for women is still very low regarding their representation in political decision making positions. The following statistics show the gender gaps in women representation in all political decision making processes.

The forth-coming elections should make a difference, as The Gambia will be faced with three elections namely presidential, parliamentary and local government. The political will to ensure that women participate at all these levels is important. I would urge women to throw their head ties and wrappers into the political landscape as they would normally do for male counterparts. This year is very important for women to take note of the theme and its significance in improving the participation of women in politics, decision making and leadership.

All political parties should aspire to field in more female candidates in all the structures that will be contested. The political education of the masses should include attitudes of the society towards women who would like to contest for positions. Intra party squabbles arise when a woman expresses her desire to contest. Some women have fallen victims of castigation within their parties. There was resistance from men who also had the desire to contest and this led to acrimonies between them and women who wanted to contest. In the history of Gambian politics women have always been by the side of men and given them all support (morally and economically) to see them succeed. If for one time women within the same party express the desire to do so, this should be encouraged and made to happen.

Men should also recognise that women are equally important in the party and should recognise the contributions that women make in advancing the interest of the parties they belong to. Male attitudes towards women aspirants have been found to be very negative.

I urge women not to be discouraged because it is about power and control over resources as well as decisions and everything it goes with. Therefore I would encourage women who have the desire to participate in their parties as candidates to start expressing these desires. It is also important that party leaders give positive statements to the public about their viewpoints on women representation and participation regarding elective positions.

At least the government should recognise the 30% recommended or if possible give more especially when women within the ranks of their parties have all the credentials for leadership (GORR BAHNA GIGEEN BAHNA)

The celebrations should be an opportunity to reflect critically on how women should be encouraged to participate in all elective positions and to recognise the value that will be added in ensuring good governance in The Gambia.

I wish to take the opportunity to congratulate all the men and women who have contributed to the success of this occasion. To TANGO for facilitating the process with The Technical Advisory Committee who steered the process. Action Aid International, The Gambia, created the opportunity for fifteen Women’s Rights Organisations including the Women’s Bureau to celebrate International Women’s Day, 8th March 2006.

Prepared by Isatou Touray