50-50 representation, no less, says Swapo’s Women Council

WOMEN in Swapo are to push for 50 per cent representation in the party’s top decision-making bodies and in the National Assembly.

A Central Committee meeting of the Swapo Women’s Council at the weekend decided to lobby for changing the ruling party’s constitution to allow half of the party’s Politburo, Central Committee and MPs in the next National Assembly to be women. The move is likely to face resistance from their male counterparts.In 2002 Swapo President Sam Nujoma was forced to drop plans to nominate 21 women to the Swapo Central Committee.He was given legal advice that it was illegal but the resistance also took the form of claims of dictatorial behaviour being hurled at him.A resolution was passed at the 1997 congress already to increase the proportion of women delegates to the party’s congress up to 50 per cent.If Nujoma had had his way in nominating the 21 women, it would have left only 36 positions available in the election for the Central Committee.Many party stalwarts, most of them Ministers, feared they would have lost out to people who would have been “brought in by wheelchair”, in terms of an expression widely used by Swapo members.Having failed to get 50 per cent female representation, Nujoma, responding to lobbying by some in the Women’s Council leadership, decided to push for a quota on the Central Committee but once again did not succeed.Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary of the Swapo Women’s Council, Linea Shaetonhodi, said Namibia had failed to meet the SADC target of 30 per cent women in decision-making bodies by the year 2005.SADC has since increased the target to 50 per cent female representation in national parliaments and the Women’s Council Central Committee agreed that “legal mechanisms have to be set up within the party structures to enable and ensure that more women take up leadership positions at all levels” in Swapo.They also called for a review of the country’s Constitution and electoral laws to make them “more woman friendly”.”We have already put up a proposal for the party,” Shaetonhodi said.”We hope that, come the next elections, we will have 50 per cent women representation”.Currently, women have 13 seats on the 83-strong Swapo Central Committee.A decision was taken at the 2002 Congress that in future Congress should “consider reserving the first 21 seats” on the Central Committee for “women comrades”.Whether that will be achieved, remains to be seen.The move is likely to face resistance from their male counterparts.In 2002 Swapo President Sam Nujoma was forced to drop plans to nominate 21 women to the Swapo Central Committee.He was given legal advice that it was illegal but the resistance also took the form of claims of dictatorial behaviour being hurled at him.A resolution was passed at the 1997 congress already to increase the proportion of women delegates to the party’s congress up to 50 per cent.If Nujoma had had his way in nominating the 21 women, it would have left only 36 positions available in the election for the Central Committee.Many party stalwarts, most of them Ministers, feared they would have lost out to people who would have been “brought in by wheelchair”, in terms of an expression widely used by Swapo members.Having failed to get 50 per cent female representation, Nujoma, responding to lobbying by some in the Women’s Council leadership, decided to push for a quota on the Central Committee but once again did not succeed.Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary of the Swapo Women’s Council, Linea Shaetonhodi, said Namibia had failed to meet the SADC target of 30 per cent women in decision-making bodies by the year 2005.SADC has since increased the target to 50 per cent female representation in national parliaments and the Women’s Council Central Committee agreed that “legal mechanisms have to be set up within the party structures to enable and ensure that more women take up leadership positions at all levels” in Swapo.They also called for a review of the country’s Constitution and electoral laws to make them “more woman friendly”.”We have already put up a proposal for the party,” Shaetonhodi said.”We hope that, come the next elections, we will have 50 per cent women representation”.Currently, women have 13 seats on the 83-strong Swapo Central Committee.A decision was taken at the 2002 Congress that in future Congress should “consider reserving the first 21 seats” on the Central Committee for “women comrades”.Whether that will be achieved, remains to be seen.