(Thursday August 01, 2016 Issue)
The
race to State House is getting hotter and more interesting, as both men and
women are now vying to be the occupant of the Gambia’s seat of the presidency.
Indeed,
the road to State House through the December 2016 polls is getting juicier
every day, with new candidates emerging and political statements heard on every
sector of life and development.
The
latest to break a record and join the bandwagon is no other person than the
woman who led the 30-year-long battle against Female Genital Mutilation and
other harmful traditional practices that hinder the growth and development of
women and young girls in The Gambia.
Dr
Isatou Touray, CEO of GAMCOTRAP, women’s rights defender and one that knows how
to effectively communicate with grassroots women in the language she alone
speaks and understands.
Well,
since the news broke out - though unexpected among many who knew her for the
roles she played in the End to FGM Campaign, she is not the type that gives in
to defeat, and she will never fall for any political intimidation and
harassment because according to them she is nothing but an empowered woman.
Since
the news broke out, you can only imagine what some men are saying about a woman
leading the nation, but as the race is getting hotter and juicier, we should
remember that the supreme law of the land, that binds us all together, has
given every Gambian citizen who is 18 and above the right to vote and be voted
for; so women have the right to State House, as men do.
This
is the 21st century and we are a nation that preaches women’s empowerment, and
we champion the campaign for women to be heard and contest for political
positions.
So
any man of the 21st century, who is what he is today due to the good way and
manner he was brought up by his mother, should be able to accept the fact that
a woman can do more than making a good man presentable to the world.
The
electorate are not looking for a man or a woman; they are looking for a Gambian
who has the interest of the electorate at heart.
A Gambian who is dwelling in what the
electorate are dwelling on; a Gambian who feels the pain of the electorate, and
knows what they want and deserve.
Coming
back to Dr Touray as an individual, many said she is a fighter who will never
concede to defeat.
She
has fought many wars in favour of Gambian women, and won them all!
At
the mention of her name, the older women will say “Musoo menna musuya maa nene”
(womanhood never deceive her).
Mentioned her to the younger generation and
you will come across words like: “She is an inspiration to the young women, and
a role model to girls.”
A
young lady told me that “Dr Touray is not one that pulls out a million and give
you, but what she gives you as a young lady is priceless.”
She
mentors you to appreciate and value your feminine gender, in the midst of
stereotypes and negative societal settings that reduce a woman to nothing less
valuable than a handkerchief.
During
mentorship training for young girls, Dr Touray would mould and shape you into a
confident lady who is more than ready and fit for society.
She
would ask us to take our seat in front, and never think of ourselves as
back-benchers.
Her
coming as a female candidate truly triggered debate among men and women, but
why should a country that preaches about women empowerment be surprised about
seeing a woman candidate vying for the road to State House?
When
women rally behind a man and make the road easier for a man to be in a political
office without men complaining about it; men should equally be able to rally
behind female presidential candidates and support them, rather than being an
obstacle trying to use her fellow women to dig into her past and bring it to
the limelight.
Having
a female presidential candidate trekking and trying to make her way to State
House should not be seen as a record breaker, but a constitutional right that
needs to be respected and promoted by all.
True, she is a woman, but she is a citizen of
the country; and as a citizen, she has the right to vote and be voted for. She
has the right to belong to a party and vote for a party of her choice.
Digging
up a woman’s past as a male politician shows that you have seen that woman as a
threat as a candidate.
Women
should not allow themselves to be used against their fellow women, in digging
into their past and uttering hate speech against them.
A
female presidential candidate knows the ordeal that women go through while in
labour.
She
knows what women go through in their gardening, because she is a woman herself;
and one drop of a tear from a woman; she will feel it because she knows what
makes a woman cry.
Let
women graduate from lip service to action-oriented empowerment!
Don’t
let anyone silence you because you are a woman. Use your vote to be heard,
because you are given the chance to be heard in every five years; so speak up,
but do it wisely and know that your vote will determine your future for the
next five years to come.
As
a woman, the road to State House is possible and do not see it as a privilege,
but a constitutional right.
You
are more than an icon of beauty, a sex object, praise singer for men; but you
are respected by even the one that created you.
Gambian
women - you shape destinies of presidents, so for one of you to become a
president herself is not beyond you!
