By Pilirani Semu-Banda
LILONGWE, Mar 5 (IPS) – Sitting side by side, clothed in bright traditional outfits complete with headgear, they looked like any of the women who always dance and ululate for politicians at rallies.
But Loveness Gondwe and Beatrice Mwale are exceptional: with their newly formed Rainbow Coalition party, they are vying for the country’s top most positions of president and vice president respectively in Malawi’s May 19, 2009 presidential elections.
Malawi’s current president, Bingu wa Mutharika, has also picked a woman, Joyce Banda, to be his running-mate in the elections. But it is yet to be seen if the women will indeed make it to the top.
Such political positions have so far been a domain for men in Malawi – a woman’s role has mainly been limited to dancing and cheering for their leaders – mostly men.
For instance, Gondwe, the country’s first female presidential aspirant, has not had it easy in politics. She formed the Rainbow Coalition Party because the Alliance for Democracy (Aford), the party she has represented since 1994 – rising higher than any woman before her in the national assembly, where she was voted to the position of First Deputy Speaker – refused to endorse her as presidential candidate.
“I am an achiever and capable of bringing positive change to people’s lives and I am qualified to lead this nation,” Gondwe told the local media upon presenting her presidential nomination letter to the Malawi Electoral Commission.
She said if elected, she would like to make more employment opportunities available to the youth, in a country where the unemployment rate is at 45.5 percent.
Gondwe also aims to improve the conditions of service for civil servants who are the lowly paid and to support small holder farmers who play a big role in Malawi’s economy, which is predominantly agricultural.
“I would also like to see the maternal death rate going down so that women are able to participate in development work,” Gondwe said. Malawi’s maternal mortality is one of the highest in the continent at 807 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Banda, President Mutharika’s running-mate, who was Malawi’s foreign minister before her appointment, also told the media that she has been fighting a hostile environment as a female politician.
“I have had to learn how to navigate and find my way. People have seen my performance as a member of parliament. I am not emotional but solid and realistic. I have done my best as a cabinet minister and I will prevail in any political, social and economic storm,” said Banda.
All women vying for political positions in Malawi are benefitting from the support being rendered by the 50:50 Campaign, a national programme on increasing women’s participation in politics and decision-making positions. The campaign is being coordinated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development with support from international donors including the United Nations.