Breasts, vaginas and public office
It is always refreshing watching what you can only interpret as genuine zeal to better a politically and economically wounded country, this is despite some of that enthusiasm bordering on what can only be described naïve optimism.
Yet in a time like this, optimism can be the only thing to have.
That’s the sense I got when I attended the Women in Politics Support Unit-led Why Vote for a Woman series in Harare yesterday where female candidates got to stand in front of other women and take questions on why they think they deserve the people’s vote.
Most of the female candidates who spoke at one such platform were eying office as councilors, and local government issues of service delivery naturally became their focus.
The passion was astounding as female candidates from MDC, MDC-T, UDM, Zanu PF stated their cases, much to the applause of the virtually all-female crowd who had an opportunity to fire questions at the candidates.
The fact that this was a mix of political parties under one roof articulating issues pertinent to women was refreshing considering the kind of sparring we have seen on the national stage among men who see themselves as entitled to our vote one way or the other.
A contribution from the floor did make some pause to reflect on the push for more women to take up public office, with the question: “is it mere breasts and vaginas we want to take to parliament or issues?” and this was apparently asked in reference to what was felt were poorly formulated responses to questions about what exactly of value these candidates were bringing to public office.
Yet my humble submission would be not to judge the women candidates too harshly, like their male colleague, they also must start somewhere, and a chap sitting next to me actually commented that it is time women got their time in the sun as public officials, adding that “at least women are not as corrupt as men.”
Another “well-meaning” stereotype perhaps, but the fact that someone could actually make such a comment does indeed say a lot about the need for leadership renewal in this country.
Minister of Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Paurina Mpariwa was there to provide inspiration, and the jolly crowd certainly forgot they were from different political backgrounds and it was the kind of thing that political parties always waffle about but see no need to practice.
Like one candidate declared: “ITS NOT A MAN’S WORLD SISTAZ, ITS A WOMAN’S WORLD.”
And these are issues of gender and class Zimbabwe has to grapple with. These elections offer that opportunity.