Emma Kaliya
May 20 2014, Malawi holds its first ever Tripartite Elections to elect the State President, Parliamentarians and Councillors. The campaign to elect more women into more decision- making positions has yet taken off following its inception in the last election, 2009. Emma Kaliya of the NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGOGCN) is one of the various project implementers that empower women and enhance their participation in development activities with a K335 million grant from the Norwegian Embassy. Part of this initiative is the 50/50 campaign for women representations. She speaks to Caroline Somanje.
When was this campaign introduced and by who?
The campaign is an upscale of the initial campaign of the 30 percent from the Sadc Declaration of 1997. In 2005, Sadc came up with a more binding document that would obligate State parties. This, therefore, resulted in principles of the Sadc protocol. By 2007, the process of drafting the Protocol had been completed. NGOGCN, which was ably represented in all these processes, brought home the idea of 50/50 campaign which was first introduced for the 2009 elections. If we have to be fair then, it is the NGOGCN as a member of the Southern Africa Sadc Protocol Alliance that introduced this campaign.
There have been concerns of the campaign’s failure to bring desired results since it started. Would you say the campaign has any impact?
Apart from the 30 percent that was done during the 1999 and 2004 elections, the only election that the 50/50 campaign was done was in 2009 and there is no reason for us to qualify it as “since we started” because in reality, we have only used the model once and the second will be the 2014 elections. This said, I can comfortably say that judging from what happened in 2009, I am well convinced that there has been a lot of progress because in 2009 we moved from 14 to22 percent of women representation in Parliament.
How many women have been elected to Parliament through the campaign?
In 2009, 43 women were elected into Parliament.
What is in gender and decision -making positions to warrant such rigorous campaigns in favour of women?
The issue of equality is not about charity but a fundamental principle of human rights and, therefore, there is no justification for leaving a certain section of society behind on issues of development. Gender equality is key to achieving sustainable development and it is a must that all groups of society have to be represented equally; hence, this rigorous campaign is aimed at reminding State parties of their obligations and at the same time urging citizens to respect the rights of other groups, especially women.
What difference do numbers make?
It may be important to be more explicit here that numbers are very important in such matters apart from issues of quality contributions. However, this yardstick should not only be applied to women but to both groups represented in Parliament and it remains a fact that equal numbers make a big difference in all structures of decision – making.
When you look at the lack of adequate laws to protect children
in trafficking, defilement or education standards going down, do you believe women have made a difference in bringing about changes?
The issues raised above are not only about women. Actually most studies show that most perpetrators of such violations are the male folk. Fellow men of goodwill should be the first ones to speak against this even before women join them and, therefore, this responsibility should not just be solely placed on women to the extent of even blaming them for not doing much.
Furthermore, the past few years, we have seen Parliament passing some of the very important laws, that is, the Child Protection and Justice Act, Gender Equality Act. This is of course a clear demonstration of the level of commitment by most Parliamentarians in contributing to the desired change that Malawians want to see.
We have always had fewer women in Parliament (the likes of Kate
Kainja and Lilian Patel) who stood up to the majority of men to bring about change. Should it really be about numbers or the calibre of such women?
I want again to emphasize that numbers of course coupled with quality is very important in such matters. We always need to avoid double standards where if it is about women, then we talk of quality while when the same positions are filled by the other gender, no one asks such questions. All groups should be treated equally; if it is an issue of acceptability, then both should be subjected to such questioning.
What is your strategy for 2014?
The overall strategy is still about empowering women through several activities that would enhance their capacity to compete at par with their male counterparts. This will be through profiling, training for assertiveness, mass media campaigns, provision of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials and many more innovative techniques.
Elections in Malawi always favour the party in power and their representatives even where resources are concerned. How does your organisation ensure uniformity?
We may not have control of what parties can do for their candidates but in terms of our programmes, all parties will be treated equally. We will strive to be very impartial and build confidence with all the relevant stakeholders so that the campaign is not discredited. However, let me repeat that the NGOGCN has no right to regulate operations of the various parties but simply engage them on matters regarding our campaign.
How do you follow up on the women who benefit from your campaign?
The past experience has shown that we did not do well in terms of follow up due to shortage of resources. This meant that soon after the elections, we did not have much interaction with the newly- elected parliamentarians. This created a gap. Our hope is that we improve this time around but it all depends on the availability of resources.
Elections should always be treated as a process not a one off event if we really want to make our representatives accountable. But if we continue operating at the current pace, it will always be difficult to prove their success or failure apart from just following the way things unfold in their constituencies through media reports, which is not the best way of retaining the women in elected positions
Tell us about yourself. What drives you to stand up for fellow women?
I’m a strong believer of human rights and I feel that those rights have to be respected at all times. I have a very strong drive on matters of inclusivity and realising that the women are the most affected group. My work has really centred on making sure that I advocate for women’s rights until we see justice prevail. I also feel that representation of women in decision- making positions is an answer to problems that Malawi is facing. Talk of maternal deaths, HIV and Aids, agriculture and many other issues you can think about. The simple answer is putting more women at the helm of decision- making bodies. Believe me, Malawi will be different. Yes we must, the time is now and remember, the time is ticking. 2015 for the Sadc targets is just around the corner.
Who is Emma Kaliya and for how long have you been at the helm of gender GCN?
Emma Kaliya is a gender and Human Rights activist, working as a programme manager at the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, equally chairs the NGO Gender Coordination. I am proud to say that I have been elected chairperson of FEMNET, a pan African womens’ organisation that works across Africa.
I had been part of the network since its inception in 1998 as an ordinary member but years later, I served as vice chairperson, then later elected as chairperson for three consecutive terms. I will be ending my current term, which is my last tenure of office at the end of 2015.
I am happy that I have been given this opportunity to be at the helm of this very important organisation, that I have personally seen it grow to the level where it can be appreciated across the Sadc, Africa regions as well as at global level.
