Batshu speaks women equality
Correspondent | Wednesday April 9, 2014 16:58
I am happy to have been invited to officiate at this gender equality workshop. The issue of women representation in power and decision-making is increasingly becoming topical. The international community at all levels see it as an imperative to be realised by all.
Nations are at various levels of evolution and consciousness on this matter of women empowerment. It is therefore not surprising that we find ourselves here this morning to collectively apply our minds to this very important matter.
I would like to quote His Excellency the President of the Republic of Botswana Ian Khama, during the 2013 State Of The Nation Address when he said, “we seek to connect with every citizen, every day, in every way and everywhere; thus ensuring that consultation remains at the very core of our good governance practice”.
I would like to assure you that those consultations remain the core value of our society and government. This session is one such forum where we as Batswana together with other residents and well-wishers come together to discuss pressing issues with a view to overcome them.
Botswana is committed to upholding the important tenets of democracy, and does all in her power to ensure that equality is achieved. On 6th March, 2014, we commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) in Lerala village under the theme “Equality for women is progress for all”.
This was an effort to recognise the critical role that women have played and continue to play in the development of this country.
Today we are gathered again, in Gaborone in an effort to address one of the critical challenges that Batswana women continue to face and that is, their representation in decision making at various levels.
The theme for this seminar which has been derived from the IWD is “Equality for women is progress for all, enhancing the participation and representation of women in power and decision making”.
This theme challenges us to assess ourselves and determine the extent to which we have empowered our women to fully participate in the development process of Botswana including in power and decision-making.
I must highlight that Botswana has made tremendous progress in the representation of women in decision making within the Public Service.
As at September 2013, women accounted for 42% of all persons holding positions of Deputy Director to Permanent Secretary level. We were also second in Southern Africa, with a record of 35% women Permanent Secretaries and 45% Directors, after Seychelles who recorded 45% women Permanent Secretaries and 49% Directors/ Heads of Departments.
Botswana can claim nearness to 50/50 in this regard and we can therefore say; “Seychelles here we come”.
Botswana continues to make improvements in the empowerment of women to effectively participate in decision-making.
Examples include the Speaker of the National Assembly, Attorney General and Governor of Bank of Botswana and many more. These are women who have been instrumental in the development of this country.
My Government has committed to the spirit of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which motivates State Parties to ensure that women are accorded opportunities to embrace responsibilities of representing their countries.
To this end, the Government of Botswana is committed to afford credible women and men equal opportunity in serving on missions abroad. To date, women account for 38% of Heads of Missions and this is an increase from 37% in 2010.
Botswana has witnessed a wave of strong and capable women leading the industry, such as Maria Machailo-Ellis of BOCCIM, Lorato Boakgomo-Ntakhwana of First National Bank of Botswana and others across different sectors.
Director of Ceremony, in 2013, in this country, women accounted for 21% of heads of companies and are now at 23%. In the same year (2013), women accounted for 27% of Heads of Parastatals and are now at 30%.
Though the increase is small, it is definitely leading us in the right direction, meaning that Botswana is gradually moving towards reaching gender parity in these sectors of governance.
It is encouraging to note that some sectors of the economy are nearing gender parity such as in Civil Society Organisations, where women account for 45% in leadership.
Women have always been instrumental in Botswana’s democracy as voters, mobilisers for voters and party membership.
The work of the Women’s Wing cannot be overemphasised. Women continue to play key roles in fundraising for political parties.
Despite their active roles in various political activities, women’s representation in political leadership structures continues to remain very low as they account for only 31% in Political Parties’ Central Committees.
As a country, we are yet to find another woman after the late Eitlhopha Mosinyi who founded a political party (Lesedi la Botswana) in 1993, or in a position of Secretary General of a political party.
As the Minister responsible for gender, I remain challenged by the 2009 general elections results where women accounted for only 12% of council candidates and 7.3 percent.
Members of Parliament. I must hasten however to congratulate Honourable Dr Habaudi Hobona for being the first woman opposition Member of Parliament (MP). She came in at a time when the current Parliament was void of a female backbencher.
Women have always been the majority voters and this is encouraging.
I would like to reiterate that our democracy is strengthened when we vote; for, without voting, we injure our own democracy, the only system of governance we so much cherish.
I would like to encourage women to keep up the good work of voting and also encourage men to do the same.
At this juncture, let me seize this opportunity, to urge women and men who have not yet registered for the general elections to register in the third and last voter registration exercise in May 2014, so that you will be able to vote in the October 2014 elections.
May I also caution you that a registered voter, whose vote does not reach the ballot box, is like a citizen who stands cold from the national calling of maintaining the democracy which we so much hold in high esteem.
I would like to point out that the landscape for women in power and decision-making is slowly changing as evidenced by the recent Francistown by-election.
The decision resulted in an additional woman coming into Parliament causing a slight increase in the number of women in Parliament from 6.5 percent to 8.2 percent.
I believe her journey was not smooth as is the nature of politics.
Director of Ceremony, the critical role of women in the development process cannot be overemphasised.
Botswana continues to make efforts to empower women through various programmes. Just two weeks ago (21st March, 2014), Parliament passed the motion on the erection of a statue to honour Batswana women for their contribution in the development of this nation.
I believe we will all agree that this will go a long way in promoting gender equality in all sectors of our economy.
It is such efforts that should encourage us, as they are signs of the significant progress we are making towards attaining gender parity.
May I conclude by urging all of you to underscore the fact that equality for women means progress for all; hence the need to empower our women for leadership roles. Kana motlhami wa pina o rile “go ruta mosadi ke go ruta sechaba, lefatshe le thata ka basadi ba lona”, ka jalo a re nonotsheng bomme ba rona.
My expectation is that through this seminar, we will be able to motivate those women who have the potential to join politics, and be in the leadership of the political movement.
This should result in an increase in the number of women in political decision making from the forthcoming General Elections.
I would like to make an appeal to our Civil Society Organisations; to support women who seek political office. Party primary elections are a key to pushing women in to Parliament and Councils.
In their endeavour to achieve this, women sometimes find themselves struggling alone with only their Party behind them.
Civil Society activity is in most cases lacking or simply not there. With those few remarks, I now have the honour and pleasure to declare this seminar on enhancing the participation and representation of women in power and decision making, officially open.
Edwin Bantshu