politics Pewee Flomoku/AP

Ma Ellen … branded the ‘Iron Lady’ even before she had been inaugrated, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has said she will bring maternal nurturing qualities to help heal the wounds of the 14-year-long civil war that brutalised the country.

aboveboard 64 April/May 2006 Presidential power shift The rise of women in politics

For the first time in recorded history, women concurrently wield power in key regions around the globe. Hopes are high that an increased measure of feminine sensitivity will help restore balance to the global picture. AYESHA KAJEE reports.

he January 15th choose are increasingly voting women into inauguration of Liberia’s power. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as Johnson-Sirleaf, Bachelet, Clark and Merkel Africa’s first democratically- have all attained their rank through democratic elected woman head of state means, and while Arroyo came to power via a has irrevocably altered the ‘civil society revolution’ in 2001, she retained previously all-male character the presidency in the 2004 general election. The Tof presidential power on the continent. surge in ballots favouring female leaders has Indeed, together with recent events such as been attributed to the fact that more women are Michelle Bachelet’s election as President of Chile enfranchised than ever before, but opinion polls and Angela Merkel becoming Germany’s from Chile to Liberia indicate that voters are Chancellor, it heralds a new wave of female inclined to cast their ballots in favour of the leaders internationally. For the first time in candidate whom they believe is best equipped recorded history, women concurrently wield for the job, regardless of gender. power in key regions around the globe, with These women bring a wealth of experience to Gloria Arroyo as President of the Philippines their jobs, as well as impressive educational since 2001, Tarja Halonen recently re-elected as qualifications in diverse fields. While Clark, President of Finland and New Zealanders having Arroyo and Johnson-Sirleaf had the foresight to voted Helen Clark to an unprecedented third study politics, economics and public term as Prime Minister. administration respectively, Bachelet is a medical Clark has also been nominated by a global doctor who has also studied military history and women’s group as a possible successor to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a position that, to date, has never been occupied by a female. There is consensus that Leaders in the lingering bastions of patriarchy throughout the world are being forced, albeit enhancing women’s access to grudgingly in some cases, to acknowledge and negotiate with their female counterparts as peers. political power can accelerate Furthermore, while a number of those male leaders have attained or maintained power socio-economic change in through military coups, dictatorships and other undemocratic means, citizens who are free to developing countries.

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Rwanda achieved a world of being mothers, of raising children in uncertain times, and it is perhaps this experience that record of 49% women in could significantly differentiate their presidencies from those of their male predecessors. parliament in 2003. The Liberian president has already gone on record as saying that she will bring feminine sensitivity and maternal nurturing qualities to help heal the wounds of the conflict that Merkel holds a doctorate in quantum physics. brutalised Liberia’s population until 2003. Clark and Arroyo have had time to put their Hailing her victory as a victory for all African individual stamps on their countries, with New women, she told a west African women’s group: Zealand enjoying high levels of economic “I am excited by the potential of what I growth and pursuing a determinedly represent, the aspirations and expectations of independent foreign policy under the Clark women in Liberia, African women and women administration; and Arroyo pursuing a all over the world.” controversial policy of ‘holiday economics’, Liberian trader and former rebel fighter Black where public holidays are manipulated to form Diamond says: “All women despite our political long weekends. affiliations (must) rally around her (Sirleaf) to The world is waiting to see whether Bachelet, ensure that her administration is successful. I am Merkel and Johnson-Sirleaf will wield their very sure that she will bring change in Liberia.” newfound power wisely. In Latin America and Mariama Sarnor, a fruit seller and mother of Africa especially, women are hoping that their six, told a news agency that she is confident the sister-leaders will unlock the chains that have new president can make “the country better by bound them to patriarchal institutions and social fighting corruption”. norms entrenched over generations. Similarly, Chilean women have specific Divorce was only introduced into Catholic- expectations of Bachelet: Maria Fuentealba, a dominated Chile last year; while in Liberia 49-year-old maid, said a woman president “will women and girls have been debased by rape and protect women who are beaten by their forced conscription during the 14-year-long civil husbands and will create more nurseries where war. Bachelet and Johnson-Sirleaf have the women can leave their children and be able to ‘struggle credentials’ to garner citizen support – get jobs”. And Teresa Boj Jonas, a former they have suffered jail and torture during the Bachelet employee, comments that “Michelle repressive regimes of Pinochet in Chile and Doe makes you feel like we did it together.” in Liberia, and both women have been exiled Bachelet is expected to move the country from their countries at different points. away from confrontational politics towards But they also have in common the experience inclusiveness, and her tolerance and capacity to Jorge Saenz/AP Linda A. Cicero/AP

Condoleezza Rice became the first black female Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, a medical Secretary of State in the US in January 2005. doctor who has also studied military history.

aboveboard 66 April/May 2006 rise above the personal have already been Many still blame the perceived demonstrated when she publicly forgave her father’s torturers. lack of community spirit in Both Bachelet and Johnson-Sirleaf have vowed to encourage women to seek high office, Britain on Thatcher’s legacy. with Bachelet promising at a pre-election meeting: “Fifty percent of my cabinet are going to be women”. International, continental and regional Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka named the first caucuses, from Beijing to Brazzaville, have woman to hold ’s second-highest called for greater political participation by office, while Luisa Dias Diogo became women. From the United Nations’ Millenium Mozambique’s first female Prime Minister in Development Goals to the African Charter on 2004, and has been named as a possible Human Rights, there is consensus that enhancing presidential candidate for the future. In 2004 women’s access to political power can accelerate Kenyan environmentalist and cabinet minister socio-economic change in developing countries. Wangari Maathai became the first African In 2003, Rwanda placed African women in woman to be awarded a Nobel peace prize, and the spotlight by achieving a world record of 49% from 2003 to 2005 Senegal’s Marie-Angelique women in parliament, displacing Sweden from Savane served as the first female chair of the the top of the log. In the post-genocide era, African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Persons. Rwandese women have also been prominent in In 1997, the Southern African Development justice and reconciliation efforts, with both the Community (SADC) committed itself to a 30% Supreme Court and the National Unity and representation of women in politics by 2005. Reconciliation Commission being headed by While this has not been achieved in all SADC females. The country’s women have succeeded in countries, Mozambique, South Africa and strengthening land inheritance laws and in Tanzania have exceeded the target, while passing legislation that improves access to Mauritius, which was at the bottom of the SADC potable water. Water collection is a time- log prior to its 2005 election, has improved its consuming burden borne that greatly adds to rating from 5,7% female MPs to 17%. women’s unpaid labour throughout the Closer to home, in December last year South developing world. Africa’s national Independent Electoral Although there is still a dearth of women in Commission (IEC), concerned at the low high office on the continent, the Liberian representation of women in local government presidency is the culmination of a number of (only 28% of councillors in 2000 were women), recent firsts for African women in the corridors adopted a Declaration on a National Agenda for of power. Last year saw Deputy President Women in Politics. It aims to both prepare Stephen Hird/AP Jackie Clausen/Sunday Times

Luisa Dias Diogo became Mozambique’s first The original Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, British female Prime Minister in 2004. Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.

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women for political participation and to develop perceived lack of community spirit in Britain on strategies to overcome obstacles to their entry Thatcher’s legacy. Since such a legacy is certainly into politics. the antithesis of what Liberia and Africa currently The IEC’s Pansy Tlakula commented that require, thus it may be prudent to substitute the women’s participation not only serves the ‘Iron Lady’ tag with the more nurturing ‘Ma interests of women, “but will also change the Ellen’. Perceptions after all, have a nasty habit of definition, distribution and deployment of becoming reality. political, social and economic power and It is perhaps both apt and curiously ironic that resources in the country”. President Johnson-Sirleaf’s inauguration This overarching benefit of women’s coincided with the US holiday honouring civil empowerment was echoed by the 2005 annual rights leader Martin Luther King – apt because report of the UN Population Fund, which Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, was founded in maintains that “investments in gender equality 1847 by former American slaves seeking freedom and reproductive health offer multiple rewards from exploitation and discrimination – and ironic that can accelerate social and economic because, over the past 160 years, Americo- progress, with lasting impact on future Liberians have perpetuated similar abuses of generations”. human rights among Liberia’s indigenous The ascendancy of women heads of state population, most recently during Charles Taylor’s need not necessarily be serendipitous. Indeed, regime, when hostilities claimed a quarter of a previous women presidents have been known for million lives. Even the transitional government, their aggression and their reluctance to promote responsible for the country’s stewardship other women, with Britain’s Margaret Thatcher between 2003 and the elections last year, has and Israel’s Golda Meir included in this category allegedly defrauded the citizens of profits from by some commentators. Liberia’s natural resources of oil and diamonds. Margaret Thatcher has the dubious honour of The array of challenges that Johnson-Sirleaf igniting the Falklands War and was dubbed the faces, from issues of ensuring human security to ‘Iron Lady’ by the popular press. Given that Ellen those of building state security, are daunting to Johnson-Sirleaf has also been tagged with this say the least. They will require a judicious blend nickname, it is to be hoped that she does not of toughness and sensitivity that may well be come to share the sentiments of its original contained in that rare phenomenon – a female bearer, who once famously declared, “there is no president. such thing as society … (only) individual men There are hints that influential nations around and women … and families”. the globe may be preparing to follow in the More than 15 years on, many still blame the footsteps of Liberia, Chile and Germany.

South African President is an ardent promoter of the rights of African women. Might he leave South Africans with their first female president when he completes his second term in 2009? Possible candidates include … PictureNet

Mlambo-Ngcuka Dlamini-Zuma Hendricks Mabandla Pandor

Fraser-Moloketi Tshabalala-Msimang Mapisa-Nqakula Didiza De Lille

aboveboard 68 April/May 2006 US First Lady Laura Bush, prior to attending Johnson-Sirleaf’s inauguration in January, predicted that the USA would have its first The latest stats on female president “probably in the next few terms”. Mrs Bush said that she would support the women parliamentarians candidature of Condoleezza Rice, but Dr Rice In 2005, one out of every five people elected to parliament herself has denied that she wants the post in across the world was a woman. 2008. Nonetheless, Americans are keenly By the end of 2005, 16,3% of all members of parliament anticipating a possible ‘all-woman’ battle for the world-wide were women. next presidential race, between the Republican And in 20 parliaments, the proportion of women now Rice and former First Lady Hilary Clinton, who is exceeds 30% – the target set by the Beijing Women’s currently Senator for New York State. Conference in 1995. Closer to home, there are those who foresee The latest report on women parliamentarians, released by that President Mbeki, an ardent promoter of the the Inter-Parliamentary Union in February, shows that rights of African women, will leave South developing countries, particularly those that have emerged Africans with their first female president when he from conflict, are integrating women more readily than older completes his second term. Given that his established democracies. current deputy, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has Of the 20 countries with the biggest proportion of women been beset by allegations of imprudent use of in parliament, five are in Africa, and only 10 are in Europe. In public monies, she may be left out of the running fact, when analysed from a gender perspective, many countries for the top job. Barring a massive drop in public that pride themselves on being established democracies were confidence, the ANC is likely to maintain its found to be “not democratic at all”. The United Kingdom, for majority in 2009, and there are several other example, ranked number 50; the United States was at 69; and potential candidates in the current South African France came in at number 85. cabinet. The Nordic countries remain in the lead, with 40%, while the While Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma currently Arab states are at the other end of the extreme, with around 8%. leads the pack in the key Foreign Affairs Established in 1889 as the global organisation of portfolio, other women in influential positions Parliaments of Sovereign States, the Inter-Parliamentary Union include from Minerals and has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and lists its Energy, Justice Minister Bridget Mabandla, ‘Democracy through Partnership between Men and Women’ Education Minister and Geraldine initiative as “one main area of activity”. Fraser-Moloketi of Public Service. The latter Recent improvements in gender equality have been helped ministry has been designated South Africa’s focal along by quotas and other proactive measures that have been point for the African Peer Review Mechanism, introduced in many countries, together with growing widely regarded as Nepad’s litmus test of international awareness. governance and accountability. Unlikely contenders are Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Nosiviwe Just as the US is accused of being the Mapisa-Nqakula of Home Affairs, whose economic and political hegemon of the global ministries have been plagued by controversy. arena, South Africa has faced similar criticism on Minister of Land Affairs , while the African continent. Whether a female leader rather young for the top job, may well move up could successfully alter those perceptions, in the rankings if she successfully delivers on land either America or South Africa, remains to be restitution following renewed focus on this issue seen. in the President’s 2006 State of the Nation In the interim, it is to be hoped that address. Outside the ANC, , the efforts of female leaders in Africa and leader of the Independent Democrats, has a wide outside will lead to an improvement in the following, but her party is unlikely to make lives of the hitherto neglected half of Africa’s sufficient inroads into the ANC’s election base to citizens. And, perhaps, with better make her a credible contender. development and use of this enormous human There are still three years to South Africa’s resource, Africa herself will move faster 2009 election, and much may change in that towards peace and prosperity. time, with the field being open enough to admit While the world’s women hail the rise of newcomers. Should the 2008 US and 2009 SA ‘Ma Ellen’ and her peers in Chile and elsewhere, elections both yield female heads of state, they will be critically anticipating improvements though, it will be interesting to track the parallels at grassroots level as vindication of their between them. confidence.

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