News:
September 5, 2019
A leading member of the cluster of Civil Societies (CSOs) on Affirmative Action decentralization and citizen participation, Edith Chidi has said passage of the Bill would strengthen structures of political parties with more women actively involved.
According to her more women would be pushed into politics with support from the base when there is a legal framework to support that.
“Affirmative Action Bill passage is long overdue, those of us supporting the Bill belong to over sixty three Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)”, she disclosed.
Mrs. Edith Chidi lamented over the disparity on women representation in Parliament and added that in the recent National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries, out of one hundred and fifty-seven, only twenty seven women were elected as Parliamentary candidates.
She made this remarks in an interview when the CSOs presented a petition to the Gender Children and Social Protection Ministry and Parliament for the Affirmative Action Bill to be fast tracked from the sponsoring Ministry to Cabinet for onwards delivery to Parliament.
As to what next after the group on Affirmative Action walk, she noted that the group is expecting the sponsoring Ministry to present the Bill to Cabinet by September; and October when Parliament resumes the Bill should be in the House and pass before the end of the year.
Again the group was disappointed that after going back and forth on their Affirmative Action walk with the Gender Minister given her endorsement, she was not in the office to receive the petition and had to be taken by the Chief Director, Rev. Comfort Asare.
On the absence of the Minister to receive the petition, she said, “I feel so empowered that a Minister would feel threatened by sixty-three CSOs and run away from us”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com