Maravi

It is difficult to trust women - Sata

It is difficult to trust women - Sata
By Masuzyo Chakwe and Mutuna Chanda
Sunday March 09, 2008 [03:00]

OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said it is difficult to trust women. And Sata urged the women movement to instil discipline in women if PF was to take them serious. Commenting on the International Women's Day which fell yesterday under the theme 'Financing for Gender equality,' Sata said PF was very disappointed with women because out of the women that were adopted by the party, about 52 percent of them defied the party to go to the National Constitution Conference (NCC).

"Women will be marching today (yesterday) and as they march, they must realise that the freedom struggle is not easy. In fact, the struggle for anything is not easy.

We are the only party which is near to the 30 percent SADC declaration of women in decision-making because we adopted 42 percent of women," he said.

Sata said the said women in PF were more interested in making themselves rich instead of fighting for women.

"This is very discouraging and difficult to trust women because they will just be corrupt. They are going to the NCC and nothing else," he said.

Sata said the women were disappointing because they defied the women movement, the church and their families to go to NCC.

"Sampa-Bredt was the secretary general of the Council of Church in Zambia (CCZ) and Faustina Sinyangwe holds a high office in the Franciscan Order of the Catholic Church so they have defied the women organisations, church, the party and families because these groups have not gone to the NCC," said Sata.

He urged the women movement to instil discipline in the women if political parties had to take them seriously.

And United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema said there was need for the government to finance programmes that would promote gender equity and self-sustainability.

Hichilema said UPND remained concerned about the status of the Zambian woman, especially the ordinary rural woman.

He said while strides had been made in levelling gender imbalances of women in positions of decision-making, the Zambian women had ordinarily been marginalised and down trodden.

"We celebrate this year's International Women's Day at a time when there has been an increase in cases of child abuse and wife/women battery.

The whole of last year was characterised with sad reports of child abuse and wife battery," he said.

Hichilema said UPND dedicated the day to all women and girl children that had suffered abuse in the last few years. He also urged the government to strengthen laws against child abuse.

He said in line with this year's theme, UPND urged the government to put in place deliberate policies that would help women, especially the rural women to become self-reliant.

"UPND expects that women trading in Soweto market, farming in Kalabo and selling fish in Siavongo will have real access finances in order for them to scale up their business activities.

The programmes should not only benefit the urban women but also the rural women," he said.

Hichilema said there was need for the government to put in place deliberate policies that would empower women with resources such as land and access to capital without impediments.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa on Friday urged government to finalise legal processes that would enable women access land easily.

Commemorating International Women's Day at Parliament building, Speaker Mwanamwambwa said it was important to mainstream gender in development policy to achieve equality at national and institutional levels.

"I urge the Ministry of Lands to finalise the legal processes that will assist women's empowerment with regard to their access to land and financial resources needed to develop it," he said.

"These measures will enable our women to participate in the land reform programme and thus contribute to our country's socio-economic development." He also said it was important to mainstream gender in the budgetary process.

"Since the budget is concerned with the distribution of resources, goods and services to the community, it is important to go further and see how the budget benefits both the male and female members of the community," Speaker Mwanamwambwa said. "I urge the government to use gender budgeting to enable them allocate resources to address priorities that affect both men and women."

He also appealed to financial institutions to avail funds to women. "I am also aware that Zambia has put in place the Citizens' Economic Empowerment legislation that has provided for the establishment of the Economic Empowerment Commission.

The Commission is the vehicle for the provision of financing for economic empowerment to various people, including women who, in most cases historically lacked capital to engage in productive ventures," Speaker Mwanamwambwa said.

"This commission is one of the instruments for implementing the theme 'Financing for Gender Equality in Zambia'."

And chairperson of the Zambia women parliamentary caucus Regina Musokotwane said women's empowerment was key to finding a solution to poverty, HIV/AIDS, unemployment and illiteracy.

Labels: SATA, WOMEN

posted by MrK @ 3:45 AM