Aspiring marginalized groups say time is now to rise up in politics

Machinga, August 23, Mana: Marginalized groups that aspire to contest in elective positions in the 2025 General Election have called on electoral stakeholders including Women Legal Resource Centre (WOLREC) and Oxfam to play a role in raising awareness on the need to vote for more women, young people and people with disabilities for inclusive democracy and governance.

The aspiring contestants made call on Thursday in Machinga when WORLEC and Oxfam held an engagement meeting with the women, youth and people with disabilities who are aspiring for positions of ward councilors and members of parliament in the 2025 elections.

Umali Sumani who is an aspiring ward councilor Chikweo Ward in Machinga South East Constituency said most of the electorates feel that marginalized population including people with disabilities cannot represent them well in parliament or in the full councils.

“We have been disregarded whenever we declare our interest to contest in elective positions. Most people feel we have nothing to offer by simply looking at our disabilities,

“These people need to know that people with disabilities, like me have the constitutional right to participate in politics and people with disability can also contribute to any development. We therefore need stakeholders to sensitize the electorates so that they should understand our potentials despite us having physical disabilities,” Sumani adds.

The aspirant reminded people that attended the engagement meeting that people with disabilities are capable of bringing positive change to their communities once voted into the elective position.

“We are capable of bringing development to community even more that those that are seen to be physically abled. There is a need to engage the electorates, traditional leaders and political structures so that they should recognize us,” he says and observes that most of the leaders and political structures fail to provide fair level playing field for marginalized groups due to stigma.

Jane Mandeule, an aspirant Member of Parliament for Machinga Likwenu on Democratic People’s Party (DPP) ticket said the stakeholders’ engagements were crucial platforms in preparing women, youths and people with disability to contest in 2025 elections.

She bemoaned negative attitudes of some political party leaders towards the marginalized population, saying they defeat women, youths and people with disability’s desire to contest in elections.

Mandeule also said that women, youths and people with disabilities can ably contribute to meaningful development of their respective areas as well as the country once given right platforms and resources and opportunity to contest in elections.

“We are mostly challenged on the part of resources. Political campaign needs a lot of resources and this is a limiting factor for most of the marginalized groups,” she adds.

WORLEC Executive Director, Maggie Kathewera Banda acknowledged the concerns raised by the aspirants and said WORLEC has already started engaging political parties to open up for the marginalized groups for support.

“The issues raised are genuine. WORLEC has already started engaging top political party leaders to give room to the women, youths and people with disabilities. We want to work with the media so that the information we have should be disseminated wider to ensure that things change for the better,” she says.

WOLREC in partnership with Oxfam is implementing a project called; Promoting Gender Transformative and Youth Inclusive Democracy in Malawi with financial support from European Union and Oxfam Ireland within a period, November 1, 2023 to March 31, 2027.

The project seeks to enhance meaningful participation of women, youth and marginalized groups in political processes and decision making positions in Malawi.

The project is being implemented in seven districts of Rumphi, Mzimba, Salima, Dedza, Machinga, Mulanje and Nsanje targeting 42,768 women, 15,724 young people comprising of 9,434 females and 6,290 males of 18 to35 years and 4,403 people with disabilities comprising of 2,642 females and 1,761 males.

The project seeks to reach 314,474 community members across the seven districts as the consortium intends to work with six major political parties with representation in parliament, namely Malawi Congress Party, DPP, United Democratic Front, United Transformation Movement, Alliance for Democracy and Peoples Party.

Promoting Gender Transformative and youth Inclusive Democracy in Malawi project will also engage with traditional leaders, male champions, Departments of Disability, Ministry of Gender, Community development and Social Welfare Ministry of Youth among others.

The project has four outcomes which are; Increased commitment and action to adopt and enforce legal and policy frameworks related to women, youth and other marginalized groups’ participation in politics and decision making, inclusive and gender transformative political party regulations and practices that include women, youth and other marginalized people’s representation

The four outcomes also include equal participation at all levels of women, youth and persons with disabilities to ensure they have capabilities and empowered to participate in politics, governance processes and decision-making positions apart from ensuring that women, youth and persons with disabilities have improved access to economic opportunities that enable them to contest and be viable for decision making positions.