POLITICS-RWANDA: Woman Vies for Top Job

By Stanley Kwenda
KIGALI, Mar 17 (IPS) On average women constitute 18.8 percent of
representatives in parliaments across the world according to the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). This gender imbalance has been subject to
much feminist criticism and many campaigns for change have been staged to
address the status quo. The situation is however different in Rwanda.

With 56 percent representation, Rwandese women are sitting on top of the
world rankings of women in national parliaments despite the 1994 genocide
that left more than 800 000 people dead and countless women raped.

Rwandan women achieved this impressive figure in parliament by taking an
active role in the country’s reconstruction and lobbying heavily for
a constitutional quota for women in the lower house of parliament. They
were also able to push for the creation of a government ministry of
women's affairs to promote policies in favour of women's
interests.

It came as no surprise then when Victoire Ingabire came back home in
January 2010 after 16 years in exile in the Netherlands and immediately
declared her interest in the country’s top political job.

"My objective is to introduce Rwanda to the rule of law and a
constitutional state where international democratic standards are
respected, where nationalism will at last be the cornerstone for all
public institutions," she told IPS.

Ingabire, a Hutu, was born on 3 October 1968 in Kibilira in western
Rwanda. She is the Chairperson of the Unified Democratic Forces (UDF) a
coalition of Rwandan opposition parties with members in Rwanda, Europe,
United States of America and in Canada. She has been elected by her party
as the official candidate for the next presidential election in Rwanda
come August 2010.

With Rwanda’s recent history, having a female in the top leadership
position may not seem such a strange idea to Rwandan voters. Not only do
women dominate parliament, but there are several women heading key
ministries in the current government. The country has had a female Prime
Minister in the past. Agathe Uwilingiyimana headed a transitional
government as caretaker leader for less than a year before her
assassination in April 1994.

However, Ingabire is of the view that despite the numbers, women in
politics in her country are still far from making a political difference.

"There is no women’s empowerment. It is all fiction. What
matters is not the number, but the share of power that is given to them.
There is still a long way to go in translating women’s nominal
weight into effective decision making share," said Ingabire.

It is one reason why she wants to contest the election.
"Women’s political weight is yet to be seen. I am not
interested in cosmetic changes whereby women are nominated for propaganda
motives. I want to see women’s fingerprints in all sectors of the
society," she told IPS. "Mine should not be a mere women ticket
but one which will make a difference."

A controversial figure, upon her return from exile Ingabire called for
justice not only for Tutsis murdered in the genocide but also for the
Hutus who were affected. She says the intimidation she has experienced at
the hands of suspected state security agents during her campaign are
testimony that female participation in the country’s politics is not
a naturally embraced phenomenon.

Yaliwe Clarke a lecturer with the University of Cape Town based Africa
Gender Institute, also cautioned on the need to look beyond numbers,
"It has been predicted that if you have a critical mass of women in
power then things can change."

She however said it was not automatic that all the women elected believe
in gender equality, "Will they address issues to do with gender-based
violence, for instance?" she asked.

Meanwhile women from other countries in transition are looking to Rwanda
for lessons on how to achieve parity in politics and decision-making.
Beater Nyamupinga, the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s
Parliamentary Caucus believes Rwanda can proffer women in her country a
number of lessons in enforcing gender equality in the constitution.
Zimbabwe is currently going through a constitution making process in line
with the Global Political Agreement signed by the three main political
rivals following elections marked by violence in 2008.

"We simply need to put up mechanisms that respond to the needs of
women. Rwandan women taught us how to push for proportional representation
in all spheres of life through the electoral systems which should
guarantee women an equal quota," said Nyamupinga.

Ingabire admits that taking a shot at the presidency, currently occupied
by Paul Kagame of ruling the Rwanda Patriotic Front, which has steered the
country on a growth path since 1994, is a herculean task. But she remains
hopeful.

Among issues she has used to attract voters has been her call for the
creation of a Committee on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation to help
Rwandans towards a true reconciliation. She also promised to introduce a
non-political commission in charge of rewriting and interpretation of the
actual history of Rwanda as well as the passing of a bill for the right to
private ownership and for protection of the poor citizens that guarantee
equality before the law.

"My chances of winning the top job depend on the will of the people
to bring a new wave of change in governance, in terms of transparency,
justice for all, reconciliation, and good neighbourliness. I will win
because people want to move from a post war political management to fully
fledged democracy," said Ingabire.