Bolgatanga,
Nov. 14,
Ghanadot/GNA
- Women
in Upper
East
Region
have
been
urged to
vote
massively
for any
of the
six
women
contesting
for
Parliamentary
seats in
Election
2008 to
give the
Region a
good
representation
in the
fight
for
gender
mainstreaming.
Participants
at a
public
forum
organized
by
management
of
Centre
for
Sustainable
Development
Initiative
(CENSUDI),
a
Bolgatanga-based
NGO
seeking
the
welfare
of women
said
vote for
women
was vote
for
development
and
conflict
free
election.
Mr
Phillip
Ayamba,
Executive
Director
for
Community
Self-Reliance
Centre,
said
women
issues
were
central
to
development
therefore,
when
given
the
opportunity
to serve
in
Parliament
they
could be
placed
in a
better
position
to
debate
for the
welfare
of women
and
children,
generally
the most
vulnerable
in
society.
He said
the
ability
of women
to
mobilize
and
facilitate
collective
actions
could
not be
over
emphasized
so there
was the
need to
prime
women
issues
in the
national
agenda
and such
advocacy
could
effectively
materialize
if women
were
given
the
chance
to be
part of
the
legislature
in the
country.
Mr
Ayamba
noted
that
even
though
the 2000
population
census
put
women in
the
majority,
continuous
discrimination
tendencies
such as
the
inability
of women
to have
access
to land,
production
resources
and
credit
facilities
and
cultural
practices
had
undermined
progress
in
ensuring
that
women
attained
full
independence.
He said
it was
only
morally
right
that
women
who
constituted
majority
of the
population
voted
for
their
fellow
women to
Parliament
to take
actions
on their
behalf,
adding
“women
have
vast
know-how
in home
management
and
could
translate
this
into
better
policies
when
given
the
mandate.”
Mr
Ayamba
said
"women
are
capable,
competent
and in a
better
position
to
contribute
positively
to
debates
in
Parliament
especially
those
issues
regarding
women
and
children”.
Mr
Emmanuel
Atogi, a
retired
civil
servant,
called
on women
to be
peace
brokers
and
peacemakers
during
Election
2008.
He
called
on
politicians
to
restrain
their
activists
and
supporters
from
using
abusive
and
libellous
language
during
the
campaign
in order
not to
create
unnecessary
tensions.
Mr
Robert
Alagkomah,
Head of
Programme
of
CENSUDI
said the
forum
was a
follow-up
to build
the
capacity
of women
Parliamentary
Candidates
in the
Region
for the
challenges
ahead
during
Election
2008.
Madam
Mary-Margaret
Issaka,
Programme
Manager
of
CENSUDI,
noted
that
women
knew
best
what was
good for
them and
could
perform
better
when
given
the
opportunity
to
serve.
GNA
