Newly elected female Members of Parliament (MPS) have been challenged to support each other in order to excel in their political roles.
Speaker of National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara made the challenge Wednesday in Lilongwe at Oxfam supported breakfast meeting with the new cohort of female Members of Parliament (MPS) at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC).
She said as female parliamentarian they need each other in one way or the other so that they could build on their careers.
Gotani said newly elected MPs have an added advantaged to have long-serving members of parliament in the august house where they could seek wisdom.
“Please humble yourself and interact with them and get to know their select to enable them served more than four terms as female MP despite tough competition out there. We have MPS like Lillian Patel and Anna Kachikho have been there for long get their song and understand it,” the Speaker advised.
Gotani urged the MPS not to be afraid of making mistake in Parliament saying they need to actively participate in the proceedings in the house.
“Don’t be scared of making mistakes that the only women you make positive contribution in the house. You need to consult each other and you are free to access my office for advised and the secretariat is always to help you,” she stated
The Speaker said you might think you don’t someone in the caucus you might be surprised that person has various talents and gifts which might want to tap in for your own personal use.
Gotani said as Female MPS need to do away with issues of pulling each other’s down with the Women Caucus of parliament if we are to forge a head.
She said people out there are looking at us as agent’s transformative change to our constituencies.
“We need to rise above party politics and hatred. We need to justify ourselves to reason we were urging voters to cast their votes on us. We have to prove to the people that 50:50 campaigns have bought positive impact to the country’s development agenda,” Gotani said.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha acknowledged the milestone that the country has registered by electing its First Female Speaker of Parliament Hara, who would be assisted by the Deputy Speakers who include a female Second Deputy Speaker, Aisha Adams.
Navicha said people have shown their confidence in women by electing us into the August House and what is needed is the support for us to effectively carry out our oversight, legislative and representational roles.
“As a Ministry, we appreciate the efforts of NGOs and I would like to call upon all stakeholders to support this cohort of Women MPs so that together we can champion the social-economic development of our country,” the Minister stated.
Oxfam in Malawi Country Director, Lingalireni Mihowa said the meeting was organised to celebrate the success women Caucus has registered having more Female MPS in parliament in just ended elections.
She said partners have been accorded an opportunity to have discussed with Women Caucus in Parliament on how they could plan and implement various development programme in their constituencies on issues mostly affecting women and the girl child.