50/50 Group expresses disappointment
October 19, 2017 BY Dusuba Koroma (Intern)
Dr. Nemata Majeks-Walker
Founder of 50/50 Group, Dr. Nemata Majeks-Walker, has in an exclusive interview with Concord Times at their head office on Tower Hill in Freetown expressed disappointment over the outcome of the delegates’ conference of both the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the ruling All People’s Party (APC) party as the two political parties failed to either elect or select a female flag-bearer candidate ahead of the March 7th, 2018 multi-tier elections.
Dr. Nemata Majeks-Walker noted that women were sidelined in the entire process, stating that despite President Koroma has done extremely well for women’s movement in the country during his over 9 years reign as President, “but not much has been done as compared to the number of men in parliament.”
‘’Women and youth should be given equal representation in politics, according to the TRC Report. Politics is not the monopoly of men. It is rather demoralising that with the major role played by women in society they are still neglected in major political positions,” she expressed.
Aside from the flagbearer candidates that would contest the 2018 presidential elections, the two leading political parties have, through selection and election, endorsed new executives that would manage their parties’ affairs.
Among the 30 executive members of the main opposition SLPP, only four are women, while the ruling APC has just two among the lot.
According to Dr. Majeks-Walker, they as an institution has assured all women that they would continue to ask relevant questions about the composition of the executive of all political parties as to why such trend would continue despite their efforts.
“We will continue to urge all political parties to be gender sensitive in their selection or election process because women are the architects of so many developments. There will come a time when women will only cast their ballot for political parties that are gender sensitive by placing women into key position. Until that is done, we will continue to appeal to political leaders and political parties to adhere to the fact that women are there to work side-by-side with men,” she said.
She demanded that women should be awarded party symbols or at least be represented by 30 percent in parliament.