By Adama Conteh
232News
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The Director of National Democratic Institute (NDI), Mohamed I. Konneh has urged that women should be allowed to participate in top political parties in the country. “Women should be given the opportunity to give out their own points of view in matters concerning their political parties,” he stated.
He made this statement on Thursday 29th February, 2024 at the One Day National Consultative Conference which was held at the Civil Service Training College, State Avenue, Tower Hill Freetown.
He disclosed that 30% of women are present in political parties and that they are looking for more women to be allowed in the political world. He continued that they have achieved 30% of women’s representation in parliament, local council and that political parties remain a bedrock for women representatives and that they are confined to women’s leadership.
He explained that some parties made commitments as to what their parties should be doing to ensure that women take up different position in the political parties. He stated how these challenges and commitments they have made would be actualized, and that they would only see that it actualized when these political parties have their internal election and begin to see women talking in different positions in the government.
He disclosed that their first aim was to have a conversation within the political parties which came out clearly that all of them are greedy, and that they are not giving leadership roles to women within their political parties.
The Program Manager of Men’s Association for Gender Equality (MAGE), Abdul Martin said that men are taking action points to ensure that women get firm position and decision making in their political parties, because the gender norms people are having is that men do not support women to be in leadership. He continued that their next target will be Kambia and Koinadugu Councils.
“Our aim is to engage men and boys to allow women as partners in their political parties, and without women there will be no men,” he stated. He explained that they want to see more women in higher positions in political parties and they can also express their concern in decision making.
APC member Ibrahim Sallieu Turay stated that it is the right time to give women their equal rights, and that they should be given the opportunity to participate in the government. “Women can be good leaders just as men,” he stated.
A CDP member, Princess Conteh said that the benefits she gained from this program is to be self-confident and to protect women from violence. She continued that she is going to share her knowledge with other party members as to why women should be allowed to have higher positions in government.
