The Non-Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) demanded for gender balancing and equality for the Presidential candidates and the running mate.
NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale said the women of Zambia want to see a situation where if the Presidential candidate is male, the running mate must be a woman and vise-versa.
Mrs. Mwale noted that despite the fact that the number of women is higher than men (constituting about 51%), they have, over the past years, continued to face challenges in fully participating in various local and national development processes and programs.
She said it is evident that society still has a bias towards the male gender which continues to disproportionately impact on women’s access to various services and benefits.
Mrs. Mwale said it is unacceptable that 51 years after independence, the participation of women in politics has remained low both at Parliamentary and Local Government levels.
She said it is saddening that while political parties have made some cosmetic pronouncements about adopting more women, there is a general lack of concrete measures by most of these parties to enhance women’s participation at Parliamentary and local government levels.
“We also note that the newly amended Constitution in its preamble, confirms “the equal worth of women and men and their right to freely participate in, determine and build a sustainable political, legal, economic and social order.” NGOCC therefore demands that all political parties mainstream gender equality and equity by adopting equal numbers of both men and women and youth as Parliamentary and local Government candidates,” she said.
“We also further demand for gender balancing and equality for the Presidential candidates and the running mate. Article 110 (1) provides that there shall be a Vice-President for the Republic who shall be the running mate to a presidential candidate in a presidential election. As the women of Zambia, we want to see a situation where if the Presidential candidate is male, the running mate MUST be a woman and vis-versa. As we have always stated, Zambia will only achieve socio economic development if both men and women work together.”
She said the 2016 elections present the perfect opportunity to remedy the gender imbalances concerning the exclusion of women’s participation in politics.
“We hope all Political Parties will take advantage of this opportunity and adopt more women aspirants, more so on the highest positions of President and Vice President. We urge all Zambians, especially women voters to critically scrutinize all the political parties carefully before August 11 to ensure they are promoting the inclusion of women aspirants at local government, parliamentary and where possible, at Presidential level.”
Mrs. Mwale said Zambians should only support a political party that will guarantee “a society where women will fully participate and benefit from the social, cultural, economic and political development of our country.
Having a vag!na is not a qualification…wake up ba NGOCC
Terrible comment from this mutuloba- ban such peiple LT.
Imagine having an entity that is best of both world- How beautiful and wonderful would that be?
I mean say a Car small, rigid, cheap drives fast and has a lot of room and is envied…well let’s stop there before get carried away.
Imagine snow in Zambia- wouldn’t that be nice? Imagine if you won the Lottery. Imagine meeting Rihanna one on one. Wat…
I promise you. Your dreams are about to come to reality!
How about this, Do you remember Mr. Mandela?, remember Mr. Lincoln?, Do you know Mr. Obama, Mr Kaunda? Imagine a clog of the three producing a man to lead Zambia? – How wonderful would that be?
Well guess what you dreams have now come true!
You have that man in Mr. Miles Sampa
Chipimo, Erick Chanda (who knows Zambia on the palm of his hands) and being led by Mr. Miles Sampa- is an enthusiastic intelligent men who have been to the highest educational institutes, this world has ever produced.
Did you know Chipimo went to the same University. Mr Cameron went to ? I speak as a woman with flawless education doing my PhD
Sampa, Chanda and Chipimo are great standing men in Society.
Enough of UPND (having failed 4 times)
PF has failed us- You know it!
Vote Orange Alliance 2016
The Team with a masterplan.
Thanks
BB2014
is it constitutional?
This is not about gender but the endurance, capability and capacity to deliver
How about for this election we ban all men from standing? Better yet let’s not vote for these failures we call men in Zambia. What have the men done for the country for the last 50 years except make it look like Allepo or Bahgdad with no war. Dirty water, no electricity and no innovations except sleep around, pass around HIV and steal money from government coffers. You wouldn’t pay me enough to vote for a Zambian politician. They are all a useless bunch!
Why was Edgar Lungu using a pink pen?
Was it to prove that the constitution is meant for women?
THAT CLAUSE IS DICTATORIAL ON THE SIDE OF MRS. MWALE AND HER NGOCC. YOU CAN’T FORCE POLITICAL PARTIES TO ALWAYS HAVE A FEMALE RUNNING MATE IF THE OTHER ONE IS A MALE. EVEN AMERICA WITH ADVANCED DEMOCRACY HAS NEVER COME UP WITH SUCH AN EMPTY AND BASELESS PROPOSAL. REMEMBER THAT GENDER IS NOT THE ONLY QUALIFICATION FOR CONSIDERATION IN SUCH ISSUES. THERE ARE MANY OTHER FACTORS, MORE IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ADOPTING SOMEONE AS A VICE PRESIDENT OR PRESIDENT OF A PARTY, THAN THE MERE GENDER OR SEX.
EVEN THE IMPERIALISTS WHERE SUCH DICTATORSHIP IS COMING FROM DO NOT HAVE SUCH DICTATION. JUST RUBBISH THAT IDEA. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATURE SHOULD GO TO PEOPLE WHO ARE QUALIFIED ACCORDING THE CONSTITUTION. WHAT A STUUUPID IDEA.
ICI BEMBA ACITI, “UMUTOMBWA TEMYA KULU”. WHETHER MAN OR WOMAN YOU SHOULD SIMPLY BE QUALIFIED IN THE EYES AND EARS OF VOTERS AND THE CONSTITUTION. PERIOD.
The feminazis are out in full swing today. What happened to appointing people based on merit instead of sex We must do away with this nonsense. Affirmative action of any sort doesn’t work.
Lets not engage in unconstitutional demands. If NGOCC wanted this clause to be included it should have campaigned for it to be included.
Not a bad idea though but it weakens women ‘s ability to achieve their status quo on merit and there by diminishing their chances of being equal to men. Every body will say women achieve things under the mercy of men not on merit.
Pls women emulate Nawakwi and form parties to challenge men or challenge men for leadership in parties not just demanding.
sampa knew and was ahead of these guys and formed the ORANGE ALLIANCE MS Micheal Sata MS Miles Sampa our DOT COM president A ZAMBIAN born and bred along the line of rail not mwa Welenski or stone-age posamabwe mentality born from a mother with no colonial phobia untainted with imperialistic homophobia like Joshua comes Sampa free from slave mentality our Zambia presidential candidate has arrived not Northern Rhodesian. Lets support our own true Zambian no tribe but only languages matter. tribalists must go nivamufedulo apasontelwe umnwe ORANGE ALLIANCE Mushota lets go
Chipimo, Erick Chanda (who knows Zambia on the palm of his hands) and being led by Mr. Miles Sampa- is an enthusiastic intelligent men who have been to the highest educational institutes, this world has ever produced.
Did you know Chipimo went to the same University. Mr Cameron went to ? I speak as a woman with flawless education doing my PhD
Sampa, Chanda and Chipimo are great standing men in Society.
Enough of UPND (having failed 4 times)
PF has failed us- You know it!
Vote Orange Alliance 2016
The Team with a masterplan.
Thanks
BB2014
DF is a tribal party of minions representing bembas, occupied by bembas. No other tribe in their right mind can vote for them.
@Mushota – You should improve your grammar and spellings! No offense, please.
@Mushota: Next time please observe sobriety and stay on-topic to prove the logic in your much self advertised ‘academic’ qualifications. Why spend too much time/space saying little about nothing? Stay relevant.
WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR RHETORIC DREAM. IN WHICH COUNTRY DO YOU THINK MILES SAMPA OR ELIAS CHIPIMO OR CHANDA CAN BE PRESIDENT? IS IT IN PLANET JUPTER? YOU ARE THE DIS TRACTORS WHO ARE NEVER SERIOUS EVEN IF THE WHOLE NATION IS ENGAGED IN SOLVING SERIOUS ISSUES. ZAMBIA IS IN SERIOUS DOLDRUMS AS A RESULT OF HAVING ALLOWED VISION LESS LUNGU TO RUN THE AFFAIRS OF OUR COUNTRY. ZAMBIA HAS COLLAPSED BECAUSE OF LUNGU. AND NOW WE WANT A SERIOUS TEAM OF ABLE-BODIED AND INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED MEN AND WOMEN TO TAKE OVER FROM SLEEPING ON DUTY LUNGU AND HIS MINIONS IN MANAGING OUR GREAT NATION. WE MEAN SERIOUS BUSINESS IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTIONS. LET US USE THE POPULAR AND ABLE UPND TO KICK OUT LUNGU POLIO FROM STATE HOUSE.
“We also note that the newly amended Constitution in its preamble, confirms “the equal worth of women and men and their right to freely participate in, determine and build a sustainable political, legal, economic and social order.”
– If that is the case, then the choice of a running mate should be based on merit and capability and not of sex.
“We urge all Zambians, especially women voters to critically scrutinize all the political parties carefully before August 11 to ensure they are promoting the inclusion of women aspirants at local government, parliamentary and where possible, at Presidential level.”
– If we are talking about PROMOTING THE INCLUSION, then I support this. But that should not necessary mean picking a woman into a position just because she is a woman without…
Mwailasha, that cant work. Why do you women like holding men to hostage. Even in the USA where this running mate issue originates from, nothing of that sort happens. People are picked on merit. What kind of competitive democracy do you want to bring. We are talking about winning votes here and demands does guarantee votes for anybody. You should learn to get things on merit otherwise you become irrelevant and people will ignore you. Always getting things on silver plate never. We will vote for a team that inspires us with confidence and not on gender based forget.
I think it is a ploy to bring in Dora! Someone must be turning in his roadside tomb!
Gender shouldn’t be a qualification for any office bearer whatsoever. Let’s look for the best people to run the human affairs.
NGOCC are shooting from hip! Men and women have equal opportunities to participate in the politics of Zambia. Madam Nawakwi is a woman who is the president of the FDD because she was elected on merit. Woman should take up the challenge and participate in the political leadership of their country on merit basis. Putting women in political leadership for sentimental reasons of equal participation is a fallacy!
So, madam Engwase Mwale, please lobby educated, exerienced and wome of substance to participate in politics not for parties to adopt womn just because they are women.
Should be female and from another region? Ala this 50+1 thing is worse than marijuana! I tell you this: 50+1 is politics of alliances and the running mate will normally come from the small party or king maker party, regardless of gender. Yakosa.
Women are their own enemies. Being 51% of the population, they have the capacity to tilt the balance in their favour. Gender has been a subject of debate the world over. Nevertheless, academic qualification and integrity are the key principles to consider, otherwise leadership cannot be given in a silver platter.
..rubbish demands…let the capable team prevail…the only problem we have in Africa and Zambia in particular is the electorate…..the majority do not make informed personal choices…they go by the ‘wind’….swayed by mob psychology….. it wouldn’t matter whether two women or two men or both genders are the top two…..what matters is the capability to lead us with the required diligence…period
……the youth will demand the same….a youth for a running mate…..how about the disabled….or the physically challenged…the must demand for their own as well….
BA NGOCC manje mwacita over….
Ba NGOCC manje mwacita over….
Go and sit in a quiet corner and think some sensible thoughts please
Yaba somethings kula sekakofye. Under new constitution everything should be a husband and wife. Ba NGOCC u can do better than this.
fake NGO fighting for the unknown which is already there…….ba idio…………t
Very dull chaps …is it the gender of the person that matters or the ability to deliver.. Very dull..how can such a mind be given the mandate to lead an organization..
You should think before you start yapping. Such a condition is unattainable because its nonsense. People should be chosen to occupy positions on merit not on gender. Running a government is not like running an NGO.
Comment by NGOCC Interesting. Well the PF Veep is there already. ECL makes good judgments. And am sure he knows what to do come nomination time.
NGOCC has become boring mwe
Very Silly proposal
When i was a little boy, my teacher advised me not to bite my lips when writing, it’s a sign of low ##, why was he biting his lower lips when signing?
Women, you are taking this Gender issues far or you simply want to be stubborn. Is your demand in the just concerted Republican Constitution? You had the opportunity to include that clause when you realised that there was a clause of a Running Mate for God’s sake! Where were you Mrs Engwase Mwale and your Organisation? I am not a male chauvinist but I am just a man who wants to call a spade a spade.
NGOCC , we cant sucrfice our votes becoz of genda. Zambia has not developed becoz you force some mps on pipo. why are those women not fighting for their names. If lungu wants to leav presidency let him buy those NGOCC thing
What’s that old adage about a committee……the perfect definition of a committee is a group of people who set out to design a horse but come out with a Carmel…? Or something like that! We want high positions for women in Politics/Gov’t. However coming up with unnatural ideas is not going to help at all in being taken serious. If women are to advance we have to demonstrate our superior brains by coming out with better ideas than those that prove we don’t understand Equality/Discrimination. If you want women to be seen as Lepers in gov’t then let’s keep talking up Positive Discrimination because that’s what this idea is all about..reserving positions not earned by Talent, Education nor the proof of being revered by your peers. That’s not going to advance women at all…
CONT/D. That’s not going to advance women at all. Let’s just concentrate on encouraging the selection of Proven Female Talent in politics. Break away discriminatory practices by Males selecting each other ( ‘we drink in the same club’ ….brigade) for office.
Well NGOCC as an advocacy can lobby for what is core to their mandate. Women empowerment. Though they were quiet when Hon Inonge Wina was appointed as Vice President. They were equally quiet when a lot of women became Commissioners of the Police responsible for Provinces. On the appointment of Ireen as Chief Justice i never heard a sound from NGOCC. May be i was deaf. Well , good they have woken up, and can see things in the proper perspective. Talk about women supporting each other!
I put it to you that that demand is utterly absurd. For every male presidential candidate a running mate should be someone of sound mind male or female.
Its a Free Country!
It WAS a free country!!
But then Lungu and Sata with the PF sold it to capitalists for 10 billion dollars.
Now it is no longer free. It is owned by the IMF and the WORLD BANK!
In my dreams i saw j visiting n arround 20 hrs in the name of making strategies for elections leaving following day 04 hrs when the mating finished.its shameful and inhuman u leave yo wife sick u go for a widow. Warning some of these women are dangerous u die,she will get the next man.
There is no secret on earth even alone in the toilet news will be in postnewsblackmailers.
WE KNOW U WANT THIS SAME TO BE RUNNING MATE IN THIS OPPOSITION PARTY ,THAT WILL MARK THE END OF~
THESE COMMENTS ARE SPONSORED TO PLACE EARLY JUSTIFICATION TO IT.NONSE TRY OTHER THINGS
This woman also, when she opens her mouth awe mwe, whoever is husband must have a torrid time, probably one of those that avoids to go home early!!
Why do like free things imwe bana mayo phone yalutu talk time yalutu lift yalutu accommodation yalutu food yalutu akabwalwa kalutu, now you want to extend that naku ma politics work for your way up but certainly not the bokosi way.
Why do like free things imwe bana mayo phone yalutu talk time yalutu lift yalutu accommodation yalutu food yalutu akabwalwa kalutu, now you want to extend that naku ma politics work for your way up but certainly not the bokosi way….
ukulinganya ampuli fyabupuba
No!
This is the most stup!d idea I’ve heard the whole year!!
Comment:You are an ***** u prostitute it cant work and wil never work. Leadership is choosen on merit not on sex…