Ansah does not need weeping or ill-informed solidarity sisters rushing to her defence.
On Saturday July 6 2019, a group of women calling itself Forum for Concerned Women (FCW) led by chief director at the Public Sector Reforms Unit and Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare held a press conference.
The aim of the presser was basically to show solidarity for embattled Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Dr. Jane Ansah in the wake of nationwide demonstrations that have for the past month been calling for her resignation.
Amid much tears from organisers Seodi White and the Gender Minister Mary Navicha, the two bemoaned what they called gender injustice, victimisation of women, and misogyny in Malawi.
The FCW called for and held a solidarity demonstration on Wednesday July 10 2019 in protest against the victimisation of the MEC chairperson.
In Blantyre, having ferried thousands of women from Thyolo, Mulanje and Phalombe, FCW gave the marchers “I am Jane Ansah” T-shirts, K3 000, and solidarity placards. The marchers marched and presented a letter of protest to the Minister of Gender.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
However, while the “Jane Ansah issue not a gender issue” has been undertaken by another column already, it is the assertion “I am Jane Ansah” and other aspects of the solidarity demonstration that will be discussed in this discourse.
Because the matter of the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections is before the Constitutional Court, the merits or demerits of some aspects of the issue, will not be raised.
At the outset, it must be stated that you, FCW members and demonstrators, are neither collectively nor singularly “Dr. Jane Ansah” Judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal and MEC chairperson.
You are not Justice Dr. Jane Ansah, one of the first Malawian women to qualify for a law degree from the University of Malawi.
There are, of course, many other aspects of the nature and character of Justice Dr. Jane Ansah, but suffice it to say, she does not need this haphazardly prepared form of solidarity support, buttressed by a horde of ill-informed people from the countryside.
Justice Dr. Jane Ansah is doing fine without this Blantyre-only-based demonstration. On the aspect of ferrying women from the rural districts of Thyolo, Mulanje, and Phalombe, it very sadly appears that the FCW went to great lengths, sourcing and handing out over K6 million of taxpayer money, to protect one woman, while leaving out unprotected thousands of the ferried women.
There are numerous video clips of the marchers walking the streets of Blantyre on Wednesday evening, going home; gone were the trucks that ferried them to the demonstration.
It is reported that the women that attended the press conference in Lilongwe received K10 000 while those ferried from the districts got K3 000.
Perhaps there is nothing wrong with this. However, there are several concerns and questions that must be raised, posed, and answers given.
As noble as the gesture may have been in the minds of the architects of the Justice Dr. Jane Ansah solidarity demonstration, it would have been nobler to truly explain the purpose of the demonstration to all the participants.
Thus, it would have been great to listen to the rural masses articulate their solidarity for the MEC chair.
Sadly, there are reports of the women marchers expressing the reasons they were marching; their statements gave clear evidence that they were not properly appraised; some women did not know the person they were expressing solidarity for.
In other words, the “I am Jane Ansah” demonstrations demeaned the very high office of Justice Dr. Jane Ansah, the victimised woman the FCW purports the demonstration were held to protect from misogynistic and patriarchy system of male dominance.
On the alleged use of the enormous amount of money from government offices and statutory organisations (K6 million), there arises the need for parliamentary oversight on the use of taxpayer funds for political events.
In conclusion, marchers are not Justice Dr. Jane Ansah. Whatever she may have done in her line of work, she is capable of faring through; she does not need weeping or ill-informed solidarity sisters rushing to her defence.
Long live genuine democracy!
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Old women like Janet Karim have to business commenting on this issue. Wangoonetsa uchitsiru. Those of us supporting Jane Ansah have the right to do so without any hindrance. Where were you Janet when Chakwera and Chilima sent their boys to loot from shops, vandalise banks, destroy cars ect? Janet, stop writing your gutter articles.
SHAME on Janet Karim, a third rate woman journalist who has never understood modern day women’s movement. We, women carry the world on our shoulders. Our mothers toiled and went to the grave treated like slaves. They lived their lives behind a man – walking in his shadows. Now, we have women like Ansah rising to the top and foolish people like Janet Karim who enjoy the perils of a patriarchal society thinking that WE the young generation will ever listen to women who allowed men to beat them to a pulp. Shupiti zako Janet Karim. We are Jane Ansah,… Read more »
Akazi ena ndi zitsirudi
Jannet you are a frustrated old woman who doesn’t even understand issues of solidarity. All the articles you write are against DPP. This is not a DPP issue but a women’s issue . What do you mean when you say that JAne Ansah does not need us? That’s idiocity at its best!! She needs our prayers, support and loud mouths!!! We will not relent until this abuse of women’s rights stops!! We want our girl children to aspire to be JAne Ansah!!! Mxiii you really are an idiot!!
Jannet Mbekeyani don’t hide behind Karim name ! Your whole family is UTM. Shame on you!!! You are too old to uunderstand women empowerment issues. Tisiyileni izi!!
Zeenat Mbekeyani Karim we know you are UTM but didn’t know you are such a danderhead!! Which taxpayers money are you talking about? If you are a good journalist you should have listed the government institutions that have out that money. This money is from us well to do women who stand up for JAne Ansah. Please keep your peace!!
Nobody cares when MCP ferries supporters in trucks to march but when DPP does the same it’s an issue. Zanu izo muona kuti mutani.
Where have you fetched this antic, expired and obsolete journalist from? Her ideas about gender are old-1960s poor understanding. When Chakwera ferried dzinyau from all over, including his own dambwe at Malembo village in Kasiya to the violent, burning, looting and life-threatening demos last Thursday and Friday Zeenat Karim’s silence was deafening. She can not come out now yavi yavi condemning the peaceful women demonstrations. Karim, put up or shut up.
This author is merely adding stale knowledge to the discourse, that woman on woman pull-her–down syndrome is a reality. When the violent and looting-riddled HRDC/MCP/UTM demos took place last Thursday and Friday, this author did not climb any anthill to scream any word of condemnation on the burning, stoning and looting that was being perpetrated. Social media was awash with threatening clips that showed the intention to shut down the country regardless of the human rights of those who were not for those demos being extremely breached by the senseless action. In Lilongwe people could not go to work. The… Read more »
Janet Karom kp it up ..dazikonda zolemba zako