Story: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang Newsroom
When It comes to women participation in politics in the country, the number is small an when you zoom it down to the northern region, it is even much smaller and not encouraging.
During a podcast session in the studios of Sanatu Zambang to discuss issues and how to increase women participation in politics, Hajia Rabbi, Northern Region Nasara coordinator called on female politicians to help each other grow in their respective political parties without looking at the party colours. According to her, the ultimate goal is for the northern region and Ghana to grow.
‘’I owe sister Hamida an advice and sister Hamida also owes me an advice if we really want to do the work that we are doing because when we take of our political colours, the ultimate goal is Northern region and Ghana. And if she helps me to position myself well in the party, it comes back to northern region. If I help her to position herself well in the NDC, it comes back to northern region. That is how it should be’’.
Hajia Rabi also mentioned that, women who are already into politics need to mentor and encourage young and upcoming female politicians to start communicating for their various party. She does not believe in one person been the best in communicating for her party because at the end of the day, it is about the progress of her political party and not individual glory.
‘’If tomorrow I am no longer there, what happens to my party. It does not make sense if they say Rabi is the best speaker and so what. If tomorrow I am not in the studio what happens to my party.’’
Another point she touched on was that, most women politicians do not communicate with their spouses. According to her, with the little she has shared with women politicians, lot of women politicians don’t communicate with their spouse. This she believes will always cause friction in the marriage and the best for women to pursue their dreams and career is to have conversations with their spouses.
‘’I am the one doing the work but should you ask him the chunk of what he should know, he knows everything and it is to my benefits. If you have chosen to marry, if you have chosen to raise a family then you owe it to that family for certain responsibilities. You have to define who you are and I also think it depends on the man you are marrying, the family he is from and your man associates’’
She also goes on to say that ‘’If you are marrying a man who does not share your philosophy, try to educate, try to get him conscientize, to understand how the politics operates’’.
Hajia Rabbi who is a married woman herself and is part of the NPP Northern Region communication team, says what works for her is that, ‘’when I project the task I always try as much as possible to let him know what the possible outcome might look like. They have chosen me as regional executive, and if I am able to meet my target and the target here is, do all the necessary monitoring, attend crucial meetings, do all the conversation, participate in the radio and TV, the midnight WhatsApp and phone call if even he is lying beside me.’’
‘’Let him know all that, at the end of the day, if I do all that for my political party and it comes into power, I might be the minster for this, CEO for this, DCE for this or all the potential opportunities that will be coming. Let him know and the effect it will have on your family and kids and let him decide.’’
She also talks of how other women in the party see her as a threat to their position because they think she might contest their position. But she was quick to acknowledge the Municipal Chief Executive for Sagnarigu who saw her as an asset rather than her competitor.
‘’Honourable Mariam saw me as someone who could help in the development of my district, she saw me from that angle and said I need to utilize this potential that is in this girl’’.
Even with the appointment at the Sagnarigu Municipality in accordance with the presidential directive to have 30% of women appointees at the local level, women within the party were still not happy for her and called for the termination of her appointment.
‘’And the fact is that they did not want me there if even they had removed me, none of them would have been fit to replace me. They would rather prefer a man to be there’’. She made this point to buttress the point that sometimes it is women who are causing the fewer number of women in politics and decisions making positions in the country.
