Zambia ready for Edith Nawakwi ….excluding women not good-EZN By Gregory Kasoka and Derrick Sinjela ZAMBIA’S only female President for a political party Edith Zewelani Nawakwi (EZN) feels that the male-folk in Zambia have been propagating old-fashioned political syndromes that discriminate against women’s involvement in national leadership positions. And Ms Nawakwi has implored local journalists to stop asking questions like; ‘is Zambia ready for a female President?’, claiming that such interrogations are suggestive stereotype perpetrating a perception that the position of ‘Republican President is a preserve and domain reserved for male persons. Since stepping on the scene as a politician, and taking the leadership role as Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President, Nawakwi has endeared herself as an indefatigable advocate of decentralized leadership, emphasizing a need for people-grassroots taking center stage. “I hope every reporter in Zambia will stop asking questions like, ‘Is Zambia ready for a Female President?,’ politics in Zambia is changing, and the trend is shifting from male to female dominance and governance,” said Ms Nawakwi, who is deputized by State Counsel Chifumu Banda, who is also FDD Chasefu Member of Parliament (MP). Nawakwi, who previously served as Finance and National Planning Minister, under Second Republican President, the late Dr Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba’s Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government equally parried claims that female politicians in Zambia have not been resolute in supporting each other describing such assertions as lacking merit. Nawakwi is regarded as an inspiration to her female counterparts seeking a political vocation not to challenge but complement men in national leadership, and her zeal has dispelled a falsehood that women in Zambia cannot be trusted for governance portfolio. “I am appealing to men in the country to support me because they have been claiming that we, the women do not support each other. To be honest it is the male-folk pulling us down,” Nawakwi claimed. The FDD leader branded the ‘Republican Constitution’ in its current state is a ‘useless document-or piece of paper’ which does not serve any meaningful and empowering purpose toward the plight of Zambian citizenry. In urging a complete overhaul, Nawakwi pointed out that the Zambian Republican Constitution vested more power to an incumbent President and that it does not guarantee equitably sharing of national resources.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:43:46 +0000
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