Mongella advocates for election of women

VETERAN politician Ms Gertrude Mongella has appealed to Ilemela constituency residents to elect the only woman parliamentary aspirant as part of honouring gender equality.

Addressing a campaign rally at Kahama Ward in the constituency on Wednesday, Ms Mongella mobilised voters to elect CCM’s candidate Angelina Mabula, who will fight for the welfare of women and children.

“Women are the most vulnerable group when you talk about peace and security. It’s important for women voters to vote for Ms Mabula so that she can be at the vanguard to fight for their rights,” Ms Mongella explained.

She said traditionally, men were the ones who took part in wars, but today things have changed and women are also fighting in wars. “African women have a role to play and should ensure that they work for peace and security as peace do not exist in a vacuum,” she said.

She said that women’s access to political and economic power is not proportionate with their influence in other spheres of life as they still constitute a minority in the corridors of power and decision-making both nationally and internationally.

She used the opportunity to teach the electorate on global issues on women, saying as a result of the United Nations Decade for Women Declaration, almost all the nations have established special offices for women’s issues.

Ms Mongella challenged Ilemela residents to understand the importance of electing women in such decisionmaking bodies, saying Ms Mabula could be a key person in bringing development by advocating for favourable policies.

As the world marks 20 years since the Fourth International Women’s Meeting held in Beijing, China, in 1995, the role and state of women has continued to change but with new and emerging challenges, she explained.

“While the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action had 12 critical areas that spelled the roadmap to gender equality and women’s empowerment, the question of peace and security for African women remains critical,” she pointed out.

According to Ms Mongela, peace and security remains a top agenda for the African woman and it is not negotiable since women and children are the most vulnerable during periods of instability.

Mentioning examples of what she achieved during her national and international missions, Ms Mongella said Ms Mabula is a person with capacity to repeat her records due to her dedication as a public servant.

Speaking to the electorate, Ms Mabula promised said she would fight for the building of more classrooms in schools and improvement of other social services the constituency.

OP Daily News