News:
April 15, 2021
The only female representative on the Gambia delegation to the Community Parliament, Fatoumatta Njai is advocating for the Republic of Togo which has the mandate to produce the next rotation Speaker of the sixth Parliament to go for a female.
According to her women are dynamic, and emphasised that women can be great Speakers, and further pointed out that in the fourth Community Parliament, the second Deputy Speaker from Ivory Coast, Madam Aminata Kamara Toungara performed well.
Speaking at the delocalised meeting of the Community Parliament in Monrovia Liberia, Fatoumatta Njai described , Madam Toungara as “one of the best presiding officers. When she presides most of the times things run smoothly; again having female speaker would not change anything, except for the better”.
In a mobile phone interview, she lamented and pointed out that the current fifth Community Parliament miss the opportunity of having two female Deputy Speakers among the four slots that were available. The current chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment, Kaboubie Reine Bertille Benao Sakande, from Burkina Faso, but the position was given to Niger.
“I would prefer two Deputy female Speakers if you go by the thirty percent female representation, with the four Deputy speakers and the Speaker being a male, we should have gone for two females”.
Madam Njai further, noted that for more female parliamentarians to be achieved it is just the political will.
“If women are there, they are just capable, why are they not winning elections? They should have a level playing ground with the males, it’s the equity bit that is lacking and we should look into our respective countries and ask why we are not sending more female representatives?”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com