Friday, March 29, 2024

PF Government intends to introduce quota system for Parliamentary Seats

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Minister of Gender Victoria Kalima(r) and Chalo Trust School Director Jenny Chileshe(l) during the Ministers Visit to the School
FILE: Minister of Gender Victoria Kalima(r) and Chalo Trust School
Director Jenny Chileshe(l) during the Ministers Visit to the School

Minister of Gender Victoria Kalima says Government has intentions of introducing a quota system of governance that will see thirty percent of seats in parliament being reserved strictly for female candidates.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd Specialized Technical Committee Meeting on Gender and Women Empowerment in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Ms Kalima said this system was meant to encourage more women to participate in politics.

She said it was unfortunate that women parliamentarians in Zambia only accounted for 18.7 percent while the male folk dominated parliament with 81.3 percent .

The Minister said Government was in the process of concerning all relevant stakeholders that include political parties, Civil society organizations and the church before it can be tabled in parliament.

She said time had come for women to fully participate in the country’s political and economic development.

Ms Kalima said President Lungu has already shown political will in driving the women agenda in the country through the appointment of Zambia’s first female Vice President Inonge Wina.

She said the appointment of a number of women in cabinet was also testimony that President Lungu had the welfare of the women at heart.

The Minister urged women in decision making positions in the country to work extremely hard and support fellow women so that we can minimize speculation that women do not support fellow women .

She said the quota system had worked in countries such as South Africa, Rwanda , Uganda and Burundi.

And Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent representative to the AU Ms. Susan Sikaneta said the African Union has recognized the importance and

28 COMMENTS

    • I would tend to agree here to some extent. Even male domination was not a matter of law but a cultural practice because there was no law that said males should dominate. But as Genius says, good government is what counts at the end of the day because there are women who are also corrupt.

    • Bushe Victoria Musungu? Look at how white she looks. After this position, then what happens…..????

    • Are you color blinded or colour ignorant. Have you ever seen a person who is white as in real meaning of white.

    • The quota system of governance is being rejected in many countries across the globe, if Victoria Kalima, thinks she has come up with a great suggestion, then she is mistaken. This system is outdated.

      Simple: Advancement should be based on merit, otherwise stop talking about gender equality

  1. Create jobs instead of waffelling on about obsurities ba PF ….the debt mountain you created is growing daily while the few tax payers are buckling under the strain of carrying the whole country….

  2. People should earn their positions and not by favouring girlfriends and corcubines to enter parliament. Whats wrong with baPF kanshi. So its at all costs women should be in parliament. Even God did not send us a femaile Jesus. He knew what he was doing and we want to undo things force matters. The head of the house is a man and we want to think female leaders are cool. I am not a sexist but these are realities bwana!!!! No wonder we are so poor – poor thinking.
    Disaster!!!!

  3. PF should learn to consult Citizens instead of always imposing their bad ideas on citizens! Why 30% and not 50:50?

  4. If its women the likes of Sumaili ,Kampamba and Dorah Siliya then that quota system will be a quota of mediocrity.Elect leaders bcuz of ideas & competence and NOT bcuz of their gender.

    • MWZ: Let us all accept that women have suffered in the past because that is a fact. But that is because society did not know better. Often both men and women were just born into a culture that told them this is how it is, much like religion, and you had to take it without questioning. We are struggling to get our country to work and talent could be found among women as well. My mother died when I was very young. I was in my sixth grade. I miss her very much.

  5. Where is equality then? Let women compete and fight for their seats because they say we are all equal. Doing what Kalima is saying is one way of saying that they are not able to compete with men because they are not equal. It would help women to acknowledge this fact.

  6. I would imagine they would be focusing on the corporate world first! That is where real productivity is.

  7. Trash Victoria, that is trash. If quality women are not interested then we should select our female MPs from the remaining trash? So as a country we should legislate in the Constitution that 30% of our parliamentarians shall be trash? Haven’t we learn enough from the current Constitutional flaws?

    Look, we all know that half of our parliamentarians are a combination of robots and trash or both, with the majority of those being in upnd including my friend GN who has really let me down. Now we should legislate that?

  8. Nga namufilwa ba PF, selenipo.
    The only problem is that we can’t replace with upnd and similar trash masquerading as opposition.

  9. The article end with the word and. I wonder if LT people have any passion about what they do or at least pretend to do i.e. “inform the nation”. Check this ….. recognized the importance and

  10. People should earn their positions. Mind you in parliament they make laws. You need people who are willing and able to do the job. No spoon feeding. In fact currently there are loopholes in the system allowing ba form 5 to be making laws for this country. I don’t mean to insult but guys today’s world is more sophisticated than it was in for example in 1970. Today’s decisions can have an impact beyond a nations borders and often require more investigation, correlation and analysis of more complicated scenarios in order to make tactical decisions. IMHO, right now the bar is too low. Selection of parliamentarians should not be about fictitious numbers (I know you are coping Rwanda). I don’t believe there is systematic exclusion of deserving women in Zambia.

  11. Let our women folk’s just work hard to earn these positions. The law can be created but if they don’t work hard no one will vote for them. Let electorate’s decide who becomes their area MP on equal opportunity basis to encourage hard works

    • I can’t believe the misogyny I am seeing here. Are your mothers male as well? Cut it Hapeya Brian (I suspect you are Kapeya but want to make a joke about Tongas). We are trying to build an egalitarian society by neutralizing bad practices from the past.

  12. Let our women folk’s just work hard to earn these positions. The law can be created but if they don’t work hard no one will vote for them. Let electorate’s decide who becomes their area MP on equal opportunity basis to encourage hard works. Gender in itself doesn’t bring development but the intellectual property of an individual.

    • With that law, they are not elected by people but their political parties or maybe some organisations. That kind of law exists in Tanzania. What they do is that the party that has won the majority of seats will nominate a certain percentage of extra members and those nominated members must be women. The main opposition or the party that has come second will nominate a certain number which is less than that of the winner. Then the 3rd, the 4th etc.

  13. Men have dominated several professions like fishing and hunting. We need more ‘fisherwomen’ instead of fishermen.

  14. Its Called Diversity The Minister Prince’s Hon Victoria Kalima is write The global standard is 30% Infant Regulators and Investors are insisting for that 30% women participation for entities
    and Countries to have that representation before they can Invest and engage the example is Black rock that has made that commitment towards the Gender diversity in institutions and entities its Investing Inn

    Diversity is not the amount of Value of make up or empty beauty but DIVERSITY in THINKING AND REPRESENTATION

    Elect with your mind in that 30% Diversity not fading beauty ///

  15. Does the Bill include:
    1. Removal of Presidential Immunity;
    2. Provincial Assemblies:
    3. Election of Provincial Governors/Premiers:
    4. Cabinet Outside Parliament;
    5. Chiefs’ Participation in Active Politics;
    6. Limitation of Presidential Office to two Holdings;
    7. Abolishing of Office of District Administrator;and
    8. Decentralisation and Federalism?

  16. Let the people of Zambia decide who represent them not controlled through quotas that is why we have elections

  17. I like the structural presentation of Lusaka times news It helps you recap and Analyse Issues Prevailing You can see some sense in arrangement but comments can add also to that value

    It may call for a wider diversity restructuring of Governance and Structure but because of limitation in women skillings in and by nature it may mainly impact at Board level and institutions
    of Governance but those legal experts are better placed

  18. Pronouncing women in parliament at 30% is not sn issue. The issue is how do you make sure they are there? If its through open voting were they stand with men forget. But if you adopt some constituencies (30% of the constituencies) to be purely for women, were no man competes with them, it will work.

  19. Again a directionless nation. It’s not about gender but the ability to serve the nation. What became of Joyce Banda of Malawi? A former President now at the verge of arrest.!!!
    Meritocracy not mediocrity is what we should look for even among the males we put in power!!!

  20. Is Victoria Kalima taking her medication ? Since she came back from India she has put on artificial weight , we still need u mama in parliament , take the medication as instructed by doctors , we love u

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