Member of Parliament for Mzimba North East Constituency Olipa Muyaba Chiluba has called on implementers of the 50:50 Campaign to provide financial support to struggling female aspirants to aid them compete effectively with men.
According to Muyaba Chiluba, some women do not have enough financial muscle to compete with men even though the women may want political positions.
“For the 50:50 Campaign apart from helping women with capacity building they should also help them with the financial muscle because most of us women do not have the money and we cannot compete with men.”
On Thursday, the Church and Society Programme of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia launched the 50:50 Campaign for more women in leadership positions at Ekwendeni.
According to Executive Director for Church and Society Moses Mkandawire, the launch of the 50:50 Campaign Programme is meant to sensitize people on the role that women play in the development of people.
“We are encouraging the electorate to vote for women. In the political structures what we are doing is to be able to encourage the political parties to vote for more women so that they can be elected either as councillors or members of Parliament,” said Mkandawire.
“We have come to realize that our colleagues the women folk haven’t had the opportunity to represent us in a number of positions be it in the church, in the traditional leadership roles but above all in the political structures.”
Mkandawire added that the Church and Society Programme also plans to launch the 50:50 Campaign Programme in Nkhatabay on Friday.
The 50:50 Campaign Programme under the Church and Society Programme is set to be offering moral and technical support to aspiring female councilors and MPs in the Northern Region to increase women representation in political leadership positions come 2019.
Is this not gender bias? What about those honest and faithful aspirants but who have no money?