-Says Hon. Zombo
By John Kelly Marah
The Honourable Member of Parliament for Pujehun District, who doubles as the Public Relations Officer of the Parliamentary Female Caucus, Hon. Mariama Zombo, has thrown her support for the PR system, emphasising that the system promotes female representation in governance. She described the First Past the Post System as a patriarchal system that promotes male dominance.*
She reaffirms that from this very Parliament, we can say with confidence that our current system is one that has helped to increase female representation in governance. In Sierra Leone, the proportional representation (PR) system we used recently has worked in our favour, especially for women’s political participation. This is why we want it to continue, and even strengthen it with better regulations and support.
Before now, we used the first-past-the-post system. In our country, that system was seen as patriarchal — a system where men dominated. Why? Because men usually have more financial strength, more resources, and more access to structures that give them an advantage in the constituencies. As a result, women were left behind.
But in the wisdom of His Excellency and this government, we decided to introduce the PR system, together with gender laws, the Political Parties Act, and the Public Elections Act. All of these have helped us create the space for more women to take part in politics.
Unlike the first-past-the-post system, which discouraged gender inclusion, the PR system encourages women’s representation. Under the old system, women were only around 10 to 12 percent of Parliament. But with the PR system and the new regulations, we have moved to 30.4 percent representation today. Out of that, 28.2 percent are elected women, and when we include those from presidential appointments, the number rises.
‘’This is a real boost — and it is thanks to the PR system. Without it, we would not have reached this milestone. That is why, as a government, we firmly support the PR system as the surest path to ensuring women continue to rise in leadership and governance in Sierra Leone,’’ the MP remarked.
