Radio Miraya
2768: ROUNDTABLE: Increasing women's political participation in South Sudan
the round table. Hello and welcome to the round table with me, Sanny Martin, you are coming to life from Juba this weekend. Today we are going to be looking at gather inclusive electro process and a political landscape in South Sudan for female politicians. That's what we are going to be looking at and women politicians met this week in Juba to explore how to better achieve a gender inclusive electro process and a political landscape in South Sudan. The three day forum organized jointly by the political party council and the United Nations mission in South Sudan electro affairs division and was attended by women members politicians from various political parties and it aimed to come up with a practical approach to empowering female politicians in leadership skill. The forum also seeks to address the challenges women face in political parties and explore strategies to foster greater inclusion and representation to establish a channel of coordination sharing of information and a better collaboration. The question which I'll be asking at this morning is can this kind of initiative change the landscape of political participation for women politicians in South Sudan. These are some of the questions we are going to be putting to my panelists here and I'm glad to inform me that today we have all female politicians here in the studio and no man we are going to discuss affairs and of women and you can call us later on on 091 to 0620 79 or 091 to 0629 50 or you can also send us your comment to our SMS number 091 2177 141 those are all our lines you can also visit our Facebook page and drop your comment there we will be reading some of them as we continue right here. Let me take this chance to begin introducing my panelists here. I have a honorable Margaret Samuel who is a member of Parliament in the National Legislative Assembly. Good morning Honorable Margaret and thank you so much for coming to this roundtable program. Good morning to you and to people of South Sudan. Okay and we also have Honorable Charity Kimbo from the National Legislative Assembly. Honorable Charity you are most welcome to ready me right. Thank you, Raja Mira and good morning to people of South Sudan. And I also have Honorable Kimbo being killed from the National Legislative Assembly. Good morning and welcome to ready me right. Thank you. Good morning. I'm here to South Sudan. I live my country. I live all the people of South Sudan above all our residents have a community. Okay, we also have Honorable Mary Pearl Michael Soro from the National Legislative Assembly. You are most welcome to ready me right. Thank you very much Asane Mattin for hosting us today and in General Mira and FM. Okay and I'm also happy to say good morning to all of us who are listening to us today this morning. Okay, okay and finally we have Honorable Parisi Nuba Katima. Welcome once again to ready me right. The last time you were here when I think you came back from Liberia. Yes. Okay, you're most welcome to ready me right. Thank you so much and good morning to all South Sudanese this morning. Okay and I think we have accomplished the 35% affirmative action which you are advocating for. All women panelists here today. First of all let's talk about these three days forum that was jointly organized by political party council and the United Nations Mission South Sudan electoral affairs division. Before we go into that I want to get your views just briefly. I know you are from different political parties and I'm also made to understand that among you here is a lady who is leading a political party. That is very strong. Yes. First of all let's begin. How will you describe the landscape for female politicians in South Sudan to practice politics? Let's begin with you Parisi. Is it easy for a woman to join politics in South Sudan? I can say yes. It is very easy. Okay but to some it may not be easy. First of all you need to be aware of the current situation of what is happening in our country. Like what happened in the 2015 when we had the peace agreement. Some women were not politicians like me. I wasn't in the political space but I used to work with politicians but because of our advocacy for peace and addressing some of the issues that we are affecting as the women we got ourselves in the politics so that is why I say it is not difficult. Okay so it depends on the situation. Yes Honorable a charity was it very easy for you to join politics? As my colleagues say it is not easy but sometimes it's easy but sometimes it's not easy for many women of South Sudan because there is aspect of culture and norms that hindered women from joining political parties because if you join political parties you will be calling names then women are really scared of joining that but for others are easy so that's why really we are there want to tell women that these are the challenges that facing us one of them is norms that really hidden women of joining political parties. Okay and Honorable Mary for you was it easy and hard with deal with the issue of norms and culture preventing women from joining politics? Yeah I think before I come to answer your question I just want to take you to the background of why we are here and I want to say we'll go to that just briefly yeah we'll be going to that why we are here but I just want to find out so that women who are listening to you it may have the courage to follow your footsteps was it easy for you to join politics and be why you are today among men in the parliament? Yeah I think normally when you want to join something you have to think also twice and normally there are challenges whether it is easy as you put it or not easy but you have to begin from your house if you are allowed to join because normally we relate also to our family members if they say yes you join then you can join but if they say no then it becomes difficult to join not like if you are a man you can decide on your own to join any political party or any politics that you want okay but for us we have to seek permission during that time permission from who? From the family okay yeah from the family members they accept was it a challenge for you and they accept it because that's why I am now in politics okay yeah yes let's go to yes was it difficult for you but a vulnerable? (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Okay first of all maybe I am not symmetrical in the commander he is turning in the you are the (speaking in foreign language) okay all right let's now dwell into the real issue (speaking in foreign language) Yeah thank you very much Sunimati I just want to say yeah we as you remain of South Sudan who dwell from different political parties we converge the actual imperial hotel imperial plaza hotel in Cuba that was on the 19th to 21st of this month and we were there for three good days and our objective the objective was really to enhance the capacity of women in politics so the three days were really very good we were enriched in mind and we talked to on various issues for example we were taken through the national constitution review commission as a commission by itself and then the constitution making processes the political party cancel and also in that we also looked at the various mechanisms especially in the constitution making processes and I found that it was really rich because we also tackled how like in the issue of political parties the question you were asking why do we join politics and also the question you asked was it easy yeah and these were the the questions that we were really tackling during the three days so it was a good workshop because the first day the second day and the third day okay so I found it very educative also all right yes honorable in Ebola first of all from what honorable may have said do you think most of the issues affecting women in terms of the political landscape in this country was addressed and some substantive recommendations were made that can change the narratives of women not joining politics and encourage women in another way to join politics and also participate with the main counterpart in this country. Yes, I know the workshop. You let me say I get a tear or I'll watch up. I'll talk about the constitution. The constitution of the constitution of the constitution of the constitution of the common ciaza. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) All right. (speaking in foreign language) What court you attend on during these three days of forum and do you think some of the recommendation can change the way women participate in politics in terms of a good number of women joining politics in different political parties. Yeah, thank you very much. I think the workshop was on sensitization of women members of political parties in relation to upcoming election during three days. We discuss a lot of issues on political parties council act 2012 amended 2022 and the national election act 2012 amended 2023 and the national and the constitution making process 2012 amended 2023. All these laws are existing since 2012 but reconstute it with the provisions of the river place agreement. So we discuss a lot of issues and all these discussion and recommendations will help women of south Sudan to enshrine the 35 percent in the constitution and also will help political parties to increase the participation of women not less than 35 percent but above and also the women will participate on the election processes more than 35 percent and the most important thing they will participate on constitution making process the participation the women in the political parties council they are 40 percent and in the constitution making process they are about 33 percent and I think the workshop will help us to maintain our position and even to increase the number of women in the upcoming election. Right let's hear from a honorable charity first of all from what your land and now you are empowered I should say do you believe that such kind of a workshop can really empower women to join politics and also compete with the male counterparts not only for appointing the position but also for an elective position and thank you for the chance I think this kind of workshop really empowered women and helped women how to go about it if you go back to the recommendation that women have in this workshop the recommendation is say that women has to know that they have to be united how can women be united women has to have peace why what is peace even is it peace one day something to get or peace is process for women when women also need to put into consideration that she is in that political party and she really mind the women is in there or in genderism this is what women have to put because if you are in the political party and you are even in the position that you can make decision and you are not making decision I think women are saying no need for you to be there because during the position you need to make decision how do you make decision you need really to cooperate how do you cooperate you collaborate with other women from other parties women in dust in that workshop decided that they are women they are not for parties they need to really to put women issues ahead and women issues in the country issues country issues is women issues because women are the peace makers of this country if women are really given the chance to do well in the other things of this country we move forward that's why this workshop really come out with women has to have platform that all women have to be together and challenge their their and and face their challenges how can we face our challenges I think I will come for this okay yes uh let's find that from yes Honorable Parisi you are you have been in this game for some time now and based on what your land from there how can it help women who have that kind of zeal of joining politics like it was mentioned in the beginning because of the norms and cultures they are tied down thank you so much uh some of these challenges are they are there to make us strong as women you know there is nothing that is difficult you can if the difficult part is that some women just don't know their rights the moment you know that that that one you can you have the capacity to handle it I think it is not difficult so uh yes I attended a lot of uh forums and also meetings on how women should address their issues and I think uh it has empowered me to also empower more women you know like our three days workshop we some most of these women they don't know what is happening in politics and they don't even know how to join politics we told them that now we are in the peace agreement the after the peace agreement we are going for the elections which is not far from now so if you if you want to join the elections uh the upcoming election and then you choose the party okay if you want to protest for uh for parliamentary uh if you want to join the parliament for example you can join one of the parties and they'll represent your constituency or you can come through the party and we have the privilege of the 35 percent as women which is giving us every woman a right to to to to join the political space and come and also join the other women who are addressing the issues of women you know we are all facing different issues in different places in different environment so every woman has that capability to address a certain uh problem it's only that people need to be aware and that is why this workshop was handled uh was uh was conducted so that women who want to address issues of women they can join so to be a leader you have to join through a party you can join through the women's space you can also join the civil society who are advocating for the rights and the privileges for women so I think for that one uh this is what I know I'm empowered to empower more women okay now let's uh look at um maybe Honorable Mary could you just share with our listeners what are some of the recommendations that came up from this uh because I want us really to look at the challenges uh facing women when they want to join politics and how can this day overcome that should be the basis of our discussion today so that women who are listening to you can also uh run from you and pick it from there first of all before we go that uh what was some of the recommendation where uh you think should be really disseminated to women beyond Juba thank you very much I think some of the recommendations were really the unity of purpose of the women women should be united yeah women should be united regardless of their political parties regardless of their their tribe where they come from women should be united and especially when we are united this is where we become strong they say uh unity is strength and when you are united you fall so uh unity is very important for you to achieve uh something and second delay is also mentoring uh we discuss mentoring of the young ones who are aspiring to come to to to to politics and we are also seeing here we are asking our our our our partners the men to allow uh women to join politics because if you remember my remarks I said when you want to come to politics you need to to to to to us uh all you need to solicit uh uh a kind of uh whether you should join or not so uh i'm also saying yeah uh means should allow because we are we are sometimes bad because our number is less when it comes to participation so uh if women also uh who are young who are aspiring to come to politics and then they are bad because of uh family issues like um uh looking after the children at the home so it it takes them back because we have seen now they they they they what we are going through as women especially here in our country is it possible for women to unite for a purpose yeah it is possible yeah it is possible it is possible because when you are uniting in purpose you have an objective of why you are united what will it take the women of society to unite you you mean uh yes yes uh what is what what do you think can be done to unite because unity in in words is different from unity in action yeah yeah so what will it take what do you think can be done to foster that kind of unity you are talking about yeah what what can be done is uh they're coming together of course of the women um the participation of the women and since dies in them if they're since dies they will of course come and and and join without uh any problem and then uh it it it becomes so easy even as when we were in this workshop I think we had the unity of purpose yeah because we have come together and we were talking uh common agenda yeah yeah so if the agenda is common definitely you have to unite okay because it is not benefiting only one person it is benefiting all of us yeah so it becomes possible the other thing is also knowing our rights because as women sometimes we do not know our rights and then um we are lefty also behind because as I was putting it across you know knowing your rights also yeah when you are you have the level of education and now you are just uh remaining in the house seated you are not even uh contributing today today today today affairs of the country then it means also one part is lefty behind so we are we are saying we are not saying that uh women should really be at your home because if there is that education led we may also be allowed to participate so that they can come out and air out their views also and this is how we can move together as a country and the country will develop because if one one one part of uh the agenda is lefty behind then uh moving ahead will be difficult even development will be difficult so we should move together yeah participation also is very important but in past participation we may really have to be sensitized yeah all right um yes a lot about charity uh from our let's now look at uh we have had some of the recommendation unit of purpose mentoring knowing your right but special and many more um now what do you think are the some of the challenges that is really tying most women in this country to join politics already we talked about the use of culture and norms what do you think are the major challenges women who really want to practice or join politics uh facing and sometimes they go back home and think about a better join maybe the civil society or an NGO I can say first of all uh let me talk about unit of purpose just a bit yeah I just want to say unit of purpose not only for educated people unit of purpose all across yes because a person that in the grassroots is also very important for you if you want to meet that people that person is really have wisdom to gather that people to meet them so this one we need to bring them on then to into into into our unit of purpose also those people that might not have chance of coming to politics but they are playing role looking after the children the children there will be future of this country this is also we need to bring them all to the board saying that women in different capacity they will do something and it will we will come united since we have one goal one common goal that my sister was talking about and then coming to the norms and cultural norms that hindered women to come into politics this thing is very big it's not only for people that we will come and say that even if you go to school you can go to school is something different from where then then the norms that we put for ourself to guide ourself this societal norms is very very stronger this societal norms we need to come to gender to gendering things to come by saying that men are women we are not different biologically yes but in doing things we are kind of what men can do women maybe can do better even so why not coming together we need to sensitize our counter men then you know what you are doing we can do it we if you are working together we'll do more than one one hand can do why not come together and we do things together that's really what we talk about unity of purpose for women to come together there is so many things that women fall apart what is that things that a workshop brought in this workshop said you need to build trust because if there is no trust why not rebuilding this trust again then bring women together we work together this is another thing rebuilding the trust in few things because you know if you want to come together and this is common agenda that we have means that we have to share whatever I have but if I have something I don't want to share with you and I've shared with other person then we are not united let's come together and share whatever we have we share together if you are from different parties yes from different parties but we have somebody in the other parties can do more than I can do why not we united and put our vote all to her let her come and work for ourselves this is really the unity of purpose that we are talking about it and this unity of purpose will lead us to so many things even can lead us to peace can lead us to reconciliation can lead us to to to to forgiveness and bring peace to our country okay yes go ahead yeah you asked about the major challenges to add or not my colleague has just said one of the major challenges is really the issue to do with illiteracy there is a high rate of illiteracy in our country among the women among the women yeah especially among the women the number of women who are educated although it is I can say maybe in general but the one of women is higher is higher than the the other one the other issue is also the issue to do with the marriage and marriage you find a woman maybe as rich they may be a level of standard aid and you find this is maybe a first to marry and there's some of the cultural barriers also the other issue is also our our formative action that we said 35 percent is not respected sometimes you find it is because almost at the moment now no party have implemented a hundred percent of that side of that yeah that is the thing yeah and then the other thing is a lack of support also from our men I can say sometimes also our men will not support when you say I want to join politics they will say no do you think also they need to be sensitized the men yeah of course yeah of course you need to know okay it is important because when when all of us in the house are educated we will contribute equally I think also yeah okay it may be let us hear from honorable Margaret before we hear from my eyeball yes Margaret how do we address this kind of challenges I think as a women of South Sudan we can address this kind of challenges to know our rights because some women don't know their rights and if we go to article five in our constitution it says the source of legislation in South Sudan is the constitution itself custom and traditions the will of the people of South Sudan and any other relevant sources I think for us to address all these challenges we have to know our rights as a women and so also we have to address some issues affecting us through legislation of some bills they are very important and they are needed needed to protect women like gender, race, violence, bill and the family law bill and empowerment bill for women if we have all these legislations it will protect women so you need very strong laws yes okay let us let us hear not much [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] 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