DESPITE being a hardworking leader, driven by passion to lead the nation driven by integrity, development, and defined systems…the factors that gave Dr John Pombe Magufuli’s recent victory into power was also accorded by his decision to nominate a woman as his running mate during the general elections.
Dr Magufuli’s victory win by 58.46 per
cent was highly contributed by women’s votes, the majority of whom came
out to vote in support of Samia Suluhu Hassan, the current Vice
President and the first Tanzania Woman to be in the highest leadership
position in the Country since independence.
Ms Hassan was nominated by the then CCM
Union Presidential Candidate Dr Magufuli as his running mate, the
decision that gave women new hope to push for gender equality in the
leadership process to have a democratic system in the country.
“Most women from various parts of the
country including the groups of women activists, professionals among
others applauded CCM for being gender sensitive Party in nominating
candidates for various posts in the general elections,” says one Rose
Mary, a business woman and gender activist in Dar es Salaam.
During the general election, Ms Hassan
who visited most areas in the country soliciting for Dr Magufuli’s
votes, expressed high commitment and support to ensure improved welfare
of women in the country once Dr Magufuli is voted into power.
In her campaign rallies in both remote
and urban areas in the country’s regions, Ms Hassan strongly affirmed
hercommitment, campaigning to promote women welfare by ensuring better
services upon the Dr Magufuli’s victory. “As a mother, I know all the
challenges that women are undergoing.
I am driven by passion to see challenges
are being controlled for better and improved welfare of all women in
the country,” she says in her campaign rallies.
She called on women to come out in large
numbers and vote for Dr Magufuli in order to ensure he wins and give
her chance in the top government level and push for women’s welfare
development from the top to low level.
Among the issues the top woman leader
promised to tackle to see the improved welfare of women include scarcity
of water resources that had led into poor accessibility of clean and
safe water in various areas in the country.
The water challenge mostly affects women
countrywide, sending the majority of them into poverty as they end up
spending hours, walking long distances to search for the liquid.
The pledges by Ms Hassan to ensure the
fifth government takes initiatives that help see enough water sources in
areas with the problem gave hope to women who got harmonised and voted
for Dr Magufuli into power to give Ms Hassan (current Vice President) a
chance to work out the problem.
“Water availability will be my first
priority, once we get into office. I will make sure the fifth government
sets up long-term strategies that will see many water projects being
instituted in all the areas facing the challenge,” she told various
campaign rallies in Mwanza.
Other pledges by Ms Hassan that brought
women to provide support to Dr Magufuli to win the victory was provision
of better services countrywide especially to women and children.
Ms Hassan in her campaign rallies told
women that she will ensure all the maternity, mothers and children’s
wards are installed with enough and quality health facilities to provide
better required health services to women.
“My aim is to ensure that women receive
quality health services among others curbing mother and children’s
deaths due to poor services,” she said.
Apart from water and health improvement
for mothers, Ms Hassan told the campaign rallies that show off the
majority of women, that she will stand by and get committed to ensure
the government supports women to embark on economic development
activities.
Some analysts say that the pledges by Ms
Hassan, set to advocate and ensure improved welfare for women through
the fifth government, was a clear testimony for the majority of women to
come out in large numbers to vote for Dr Magufuli.
Apart from that various women groups,
including the Tanzania Women Cross Party Platform (TWCPP) came out
during the election process drumming for inclusion of gender equality in
nomination of elections candidates.
The Women Platform noted that any political party cannot have true democracy if its operations lack gender equality.
“It is high time for women to lead in
various posts instead of remaining as onlookers,” noted the platform
during the preparations to the general elections.
“Nominating a woman as his running mate was one of the move that gave Dr Magufuli credit towards winning the Presidential race.
Despite being the majority of the people
who always take part in the elections, there was a huge turn out of
women who voted in the just ended elections after being persuaded by Ms
Hassan,” political analyst in Dar es Salaam says.
Ms Hassan, now the Vice President of the
United Republic of Tanzania became the first woman to be picked as the
ruling party’s running mate.
A few minutes after Dr Magufuli won the
nomination of CCM Presidential flag bear, chose Ms Hassan, saying it was
his tribute to the role of women who have played in his political
career.
“But also, I am sure a lot of women have
given me their votes without which I would not have been elected as the
party flag bearer.
Simple mathematics shows that had women
voted for their fellow women, I would not have gained so much votes,” he
said giving a lot of thanks to women.
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