NGC Clocks One Year In Sierra Leone
The Deputy Secretary General in charge of Peace and Security Good Governance and Social Affairs in the Mano River Union (MRU), Mrs. Konan Jacqueline graced the National Grand Coalition (NGC) political party one year anniversary celebration and the official launching of the NGC National Women’s Conference on the theme “ Defining the role of women in our current political dispensation”.
The occasion which was held at the 50/50 Group headquarter on Rokel Street; Tower Hill in Freetown on Thursday 18th October 2018 was attended by members from the main opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC), Coalition for Change (C4C) and the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP)
In her presentation, Mrs. Konan Jacqueline expressed honor for inviting MRU to make a statement at what she described as an auspicious occasion and explained that the MRU is an Inter-governmental Organization established in 1973 with the aim of promoting regional integration through the creation of a conducive economic and peaceful environment for its citizens to realize their full potentials.
Since the start of the revitalization of MRU secretarial in 2008, Madam Jacqueline said, it has worked on protocols, programs and action plans that are geared towards the political, economic and social empowerment of women in the MRU sub-region with the guidance of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and 1820.
She said the women’s wing of the NGC party should therefore promote a paradigm shift in the politics of women that looks not only in including them, which has been a very exploitative approach over the years, rather, they should make them participate at all stages of the parties activities and programs.
The National Chairman and Leader for NGC, Dr. Dennis Bright called on Sierra Leoneans to not neglect NGC because it comes to accomplish a mission which he said is to move the country forward adding that NGC is the only comfortable political party that Sierra Leoneans must be prod of for the fact that it owes nobody. He pointed out that NGC is open to anybody that thinks development and explain plans to change the style of politics in the country.
He discussed about the great respect they have for the party’s women wing and mentioned that they would correct their mistake before 2023 election by connecting with the people and disclosed that the people needed NGC for progress.
The National Women’s Leader for NGC, Madam Isata Jabbie Kabbah demonstrated desire to see women in regional and executive position and dilated that the conference was not only to celebrate but its served as a platform to increase women participation in all level of the party and assured that they would be able to identify women for public positions.
“We want to build capacity of women because they are the pacesetters”, she said and she welcomed senior members from the APC, C4C and SLPP and advised that let there be ideas and not war during elections.
Chairperson of the event, Yasmine Jusu Sheriff spoke on the importance of leadership in a political party and rose that just four months old to election, NGC was able to occupy seats in Parliament.
She said this is the right time to effect change and NGC she said, is the right place to come and stressed on the need to empower women in the party and the country at large.
Speaking on behalf of the APC, former Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Nannette Thomas congratulated the NGC women wing for what she described as a bold step and urged fellow women to stand up strong or else the country will not move forward. “Women are not progressive because they are not supporting themselves”, said Madam Thomas and encouraged women to hold themselves. He cited that the Deputy Minister of Local Government during the past Saturday cleaning insulted the Mayor of Freetown because she is a woman and expressed impression with the NGC women wing.
She demonstrated interest to be part of the process because it has to do with women issue and sensitized women to not allow men to intimidate them because they have the ability to do what men are doing.
Representative for the Coalition for Change (C4C), Maria Bangura emphasized on the way men have left women behind and admonished women to learn for the fact that she said education is the only way to prosperity. She appealed for the empowerment of women with skill training to live independently and earning income. “It is bad for a woman to sit idly”, said Madam Bangura and disputed the fact that poverty prevented women from participating in public affairs.
She said if women are empowered, mortality rate will be reduced and concluded that “Be a woman that man needs but don’t be a woman that needs man”.
By Abdulai Mento Kamara
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