Opinion: MOC should be honest on gender equality, whole executive without women?
Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC), the supreme governing body for Olympic and Commonwealth Games sport, went to polls on Saturday in Lilongwe to elect new office-bearers for a four year-term of office. One thing, which court the eyes of the world, was the composition of the committee. In this day and age, no female candidate was elected in the-member committee.
President Jappie Mhango retained his seat unopposed for the second time. The only female member Flora Mwandira, who did not seek re-election, was succeeded by Major General Kakhuta Banda on the position of Vice-President.
Henry Sakala, who was the Treasurer, took up the position of General Secretary after defeating a female candidate Lisungu Banda while the other only female candidate Beatrice Makwenda fell to Dennis Kumwenda on the position of Vice-General Secretary. Maxwell Mkwezalamba assumed the position of Treasurer unopposed while James Katunga and were elected executive members to an embarrassing line-up of all-men committee in an organisation whose parent body International Olympic Committee advocates for at least a mandatory 20 percent female representation in its affiliates such as MOC.
This is probably the first in 36 years for the association to elect an all-male dominated member.
Mwandira’s decision to step down as the body’s second most powerful member raises eyebrows going by experience of not only MOC but other associations during underground campaigns ahead of elections.
It is not clear why she decided not to contest. But it does not take a rocket scientist to know that she smelt a rat and she was forced out.
President Jappie Mhango should be the last person to feign ignorance on the need to respect gender equality because he is a senior member of Parliament in Malawi and has served in senior Cabinet ministries.
It is interesting and absurd to hear from Honourable Mhango shedding crocodile tears that they will do better next time and will learn from its baby (affiliate) Football Association of Malawi to ensure that one position is contested for by female candidates only.
Between MOC and its baby FAM who should learn from the other? What does that tell speak about in terms of quality of the elected members?
Not long ago, Honourable Mhango pushed one of the powerful and able sports administrator Hellen Mpinganjira into early retirement when he moved and lobbied using his resources to palm-oil voters to beat her on the position of General Secretary.
If MOC leadership was serious they should have lobbied a female candidate of their choice to be in their camp or at least to pushed for the election of one of the only two candidates Beatrice Makwenda or Lisungu Banda.
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