Monrovia – The ruling Coalition for Democratic Change sent the social medium Facebook into a frenzy since releasing its listing of fifteen candidates set to contest the Midterm Senatorial elections on December 8, 2020.
The list includes: former Speaker Alex J. Tyler(Bomi); Henry Yallah(Bong); Alfred G. Koiwood(Gbarpolu), Gbezohnga Findley(Grand Bassa County); Victor C. Watson(Grand Cape Mount); Zoe E. Pennue(Grand Gedeh); Peter S. Coleman(Grand Kru); George T. Tengbeh(Lofa); Ivar K. Jones(Margibi); James Biney(Maryland); Thomas P. Fallah(Montserrado); Jeremiah Koung(NImba); Dallah Gueh(Rivercess); Charles Korkor BARDYL(Rivergee) and Augustine Chea(Sinoe)
The noticeable omission of female candidates did not go unnoticed. It is a problem, not just from the ruling party but the opposition as well, says Karweaye Sr. Seltue. “In Liberia, there are still some people who don’t have a full understanding of gender issues & mainly because we live in a patriarchal system (men being in authority over women). No surprises at all why both the CDC & CPP candidates are mainly male dominated candidates in the ensuring December senatorial elections.”
The problem is not limited to just Liberia. Across the continent, a little more than a dozen countries have 30% women or more in their national legislatures.
According to the World Bank, only one in nine seats in the legislature are held by women and the country ranks 40th out of 54 African countries for the number of women in parliament, and 149th out of 191 worldwide.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) reports that women’s representation in politics has made substantial progress in sub-Saharan Africa where the share of female parliamentarians increased to 22.3 percent in 2016, from 9.8 percent in 1995. In Liberia, however, the percentage remains dismal.
With only a few months to elections, many are now looking to the opposition camp to see how many women will be listed as candidates.
So, far only nine women are known to be harboring ambitions for a run in the Senate: They are Dorothy Tooman, an Independent eyeing the race in Bong County, Edith Gongloe Weh, also an independent, eyeing the Nimba race and Felicia F. D. Duncan, is likely to run on the Movement for One Liberia ticket for the Grand Gedeh Senatorial race.
Also said to have interest in the upcoming elections are: Grace Scotland Brima, eyeing the Sinoe elections as an Independent, Hawa Bropleh(Movement for One Liberia), in Cape Mount, Kula Fofanna, who contested the special representatives’ elections in Grand Cape Mount County.
Madam Siah J. Tandanpolie, the daughter of fallen Montserrado County Representative Moses Saah Tandanpolie, recently declared her intentions after being jilted by the ruling CDC.
Madam Tandanpolie indicated that though she has been unsuccessful twice, pitfalls and minor setbacks that immensely contributed to her defeat have been worked on, and as such, new strategies would be employed to guarantee her election at the level of the Senate.
She also lamented how women are being marginalized in the political arena: “We will remain in politics until the voices of Liberian women are heard. You and I are no strangers that women are under presented at the Legislature; there is a huge gap between men and women at the Legislature. At the Senate, we have only one woman who is seeking re-election, but we don’t even know the probability of her being reelected which we are praying for. At the House, we have a small portion of female representation and we feel those things are a disservice to us the Liberian women. When it comes to decision making, we are at the back and are not part of it, based on this backdrop and quests made that the time is ripe for me to take on the mantle of authority to go to the Senate, I accepted to contest as an independent candidate for Montserrado County in the upcoming senatorial election. And with God above, we will prevail”.
In a bid to improve the opportunities for women, Ms. MacDella Cooper, who contested the Presidency in 2017 and last year’s Montserrado County Senatorial elections recently organized the Movement for One Liberia(MOL) in hopes of creating a pathway for more women representation in the legislature.
Last August, Telia Urey, running on the ticket of the opposition All Liberia Party, part of the collaboration of Political Parties(CPP) in the District No. 15, Montserrado County election, had her fight her way through a brutal primary in an unsuccessful bid for the legislature.
At the start of the George Manneh Weah-led government in January 2018, only two women were on the floor of the Senate: Geraldine Doe-Sheriff(Montserrado County) and Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence(Grand Bassa).
Then came February 2019 and the death of Doe-Sheriff, who lost a long battle to cancer, creating a vacuum that has not been filled since.
For Senator Lawrence, being “the only woman in the Lion’s den” has not been easy. “I wear these “Only Woman” tags proudly, honorably and humbly,” she declared in a speech celebrating International Women’s Day in March.
The Senator however acknowledged that while it can be lonesome at the time as the only female, the women and girls of Liberia who are at least half of the country’s population deserve more than one female political leader of a major political party or only one female senator.
Even within the Collaboration of Political Parties in which her Liberty Party is a member, Senator Lawrence has been aggressively advocating for more women to be on the ballot. “We are here as CPP women, and as we leave here, we must ensure that the CPP meets and surpasses the 30% women representation threshold in 2020 and 2023. We must encourage strong women candidates to get involved and contest. And together, we must win. Every woman’s victory is a victory for the causes of women. Every woman’s victory lifts the voices of women! The more women that are elected, the women advocates will have to pass the kind of laws we desperately need to ensure gender parity and equality.”
In a year that has been dominated by a countless number of rape, abuse and assault cases, women issues are once again front and center on the burner of the political dispensation. “The truth is that we are stronger together. Our strength is in everyone knowing that to touch one woman is to touch all women. And yes, if you touch our strong woman you touch all of us women! To borrow from our healthcare workers: Touch one, touch all….”
“The president must refrain from calling himself chief feminist of Liberia since he couldn’t advocate for a single woman candidate for his party. The Coalition For Democratic Change, amongst the 15 candidates for the 2020 senatorial elections. This is an act of deception, And also an attempt to eliminate women from politics. The women are prepared to fight for the one space that already exists and the spaces for other women in 2020.”
– Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence(Liberty Party, Grand Bassa)
For Senator Lawrence, women can set the Agenda to move Liberia country forward. “It means more women must become politically empowered. It means more women must get involved. It means more women must speak out about the ills in our society, and be fearless. It means more women must speak for the right reasons.”
Critics like Seltue are concerned about the lack of sincerity in Liberia’s portrayal as pressing for gender balance in the legislature. “What we have in Liberia is gender-washing and not gender equality. Liberia need to introduce a quota system to bring more women into leadership positions and leave the Feminist In-Chief symptomatic mentality. We need at least 40% of our higher level civil servant positions to be resseved for women and 30% seats in the national legislature reserved for women as well. Why do I say this? A higher number of women in decision-making roles will lead to decrease in gender discrimination and gender-based crimes, Politically also, the high percentage of women in Legislature will be seen through the fact that there will be more and more laws promoting women’s & children rights like stronger punitive actions for rapes, child abuse, etc.”
Seltue says Liberia can learn from countries like Rwanda, Namibia, South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique and German where women ar featured prominently in politics.
For Senator Lawrence, women no longer just belong in the kitchen but rather on the decision-making table. “We belong in the living room, in the boardrooms, in the offices, in the legislature, and in the ministries and agencies. And we belong in all of these places not as token from our brothers and husbands and male friends but as our capacities have qualified us to also be there. And yes, women no longer must just sit quietly and listen as her fate gets decided – as others decide if she is fit to own property, or blamed for being sexually abused and violated with no support for justice. We have opinions, and views that are educated and informed. We deserve to express them and to be a part of deciding the fates of ourselves, our families, our communities and our country.”
On Tuesday, Senator Lawrence, responding to the list of candidates from the ruling party urged President George Weah to refrain from calling himself chief feminist of Liberia since he couldn’t advocate for a single woman candidate for his party. “The Coalition For Democratic Change, amongst the 15 candidates for the 2020 senatorial elections. This is an act of deception, And also an attempt to eliminate women from politics. The women are prepared to fight for the one space that already exists and the spaces for other women in 2020.”
As the countdown to the Senatorial elections nears, a few scenarios things are likely to happen, the opposition CPP could put a number of women candidates and hope that Senator Lawrence maintain her seat and increase women’s representation – or they follow the lead of the ruling CDC with an all-male listing. That latter could mean, Senator Lawrence would be the only woman in the 30-member Senate fighting to maintain her seat. A loss would no doubt put women’s agenda on the back burner and a win maintain her status as the last woman in the lions’ den of men.