Former Gender Minister encourages female parliamentary aspirants Former Gender Minister encourages female parliamentary aspirants

Accra, July 22, GNA – Nana Oye Lithur, former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection on Monday encouraged female parliamentary aspirants of the various political parties to brace up for vigorous campaign as they seek to represent their constituents in the next legislature.

She said: “we should discard any form of inferiority complex, stand up and prepare against any attacks, character assassination, blackmailing and other undemocratic tendencies aimed at discouraging us from our ambition to play active roles in the democratic governance of the country”.

Nana Oye Lithur in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on her quest to win the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Adentan Constituency said, “Women in politics will serve as the game changer, to redeem the sinking image of politicians.

“Ghana needs more female Parliamentary to balance the political pendulum, provide the other side of politics. We are here to represent the larger populace who are often sidesteps by event including the youth, children, the vulnerable and the larger society.

“Politics is not only masculine but has a feminine side too, which the crop of female parliamentary aspirants seeks to offer. As we need both the black and white keys to play a

melodious sound from the piano, in the same way we need both female and male active parliamentarians to accelerate development”.

Nana Oye Lithur who is an astute gender advocate and human rights lawyer noted that, even though the political field was most often hustle and intimidating to female aspirants, “we must not give up on our political duty to provide leadership to the people”.

The former Gender Minister said naturally both men and women have their limits in whatever endeavour they undertake, but when they blend their strength together, “they will achieve accelerated development for Ghana. We are working and seeking to work in the interest of our motherland”.

The NDC Adentan Parliamentary Aspirant also appealed to the media to be circumspect in dealing with female parliamentary aspirants: “media must deal with female parliamentary

aspirants from the gender perspective, we must work to reduce political intimidation, antagonism and stereotypes”.

The former Gender Minister reiterated that gender inequalities undermine poverty reduction, economic growth and social mobility, “with high and growing inequalities, development cannot be sustained. But the right mix of social policies can curb inequality. Efforts to equalize opportunities and foster participation do make a difference”.

The Adentan NDC Parliamentary Aspirants noted that Elections 2020 offered Ghanaians an opportunity to address all forms of political motivated violence against women.

She urged the various political parties especially the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to accelerate efforts to prevent politically related violence against women through public

awareness campaigns, interventions in the education system and community mobilization activities.

GNA

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