By Mabinty Kamara
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) elections are scheduled to take place on June 4 in Bo, south of the country, and only three women will be contesting for positions.
This low participation of women, according to observers, is as a result of the incapability of female journalists in the media profession to deliver well when giving positions of trust. They cite, mostly, their academic background. But some other people believe that female journalists are not encouraged enough to take up leadership positions in the association.
Over the years, only few have dared to contest with their male counterparts. Most of them have failed to win in any of those contests.
The sad accounts
In the 2013 SLAJ elections, Wiliette James, a gender activist and a very experienced journalist, contested for the presidency of SLAJ. She lost to the current president, Kelvin Lewis. Just her decision to challenge for the top job in a male dominated association like SLAJ was rare.
Later on, she was appointed commissioner of the Independent Media Commission (IMC). But her nomination failed to go through parliament. Some say this was because SLAJ did not want her there.
Princess Gibson was another female journalist who ran against a male opponent. She ran for the position of Public Affairs Secretary and lost. Like James, Gibson complained that the reason why she lost the election was not based on competence.
“I lost the last election not because I was not competent but in elections, a lot of factors come into play,” she told Politico in an interview.
Gibson has again summoned the courage of contesting for the same position in the forthcoming elections.
“I am vying for the same position; having contested and lost once showed my commitment to serve SLAJ. Public affairs secretary needs somebody with qualities like credibility and eloquence which I think I have,” she said.
She added that if she was giving the opportunity to be the Public Affairs Secretary, she would ensure that she articulated issues of SLAJ in the country for people to know the role played by the association in the development of the country. She promised to build on the communication structure of the association.
Gibson was one time public relations officer of Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL), the umbrella body of female journalists and media practitioners in Sierra Leone. She believes her experience serving WIMSAL prepared her for the position she current aspires to attain.
“I am the first person to have served as the Public Relations Officer of WIMSAL for three consecutive terms and now as vice president of the same organization. So it has served as a breeding ground for me when it comes to leadership,” Gibson said.
She wants to be voted in not because she is a woman but because she is capable and competent for the position.
“Even though journalism in Sierra Leone is male dominated as it has been considered a game for men, I have a lot of male voters who believe in me.”
Women like Gibson do not want to use their gender to get what some will call “sympathy vote”. They believe they are competent enough to go toe to toe with their male counterparts and for this reason they want to be voted on an equal platform: competency.
“The composition of SLAJ membership is largely male dominated. If you look at my comments on social media, I deliberately did not make mention of sex or gender because I don’t want people to vote me because of my sex or gender,” she said.
The success stories
Zainab Joque is another female aspirant who is contesting for the position of National Organizing Secretary. She has served in the media for more than a decade, in both print and electronic media. Perhaps she is the most successful woman in this male dominated SLAJ politics, as far as length of term served is concerned.
Zainab is contesting the position of National Organizing Secretary for the third time in a row and she has actually won the last two.
“I am going for the same position again because I want to complete the things I started doing. And I am also running on my track record with SLAJ which has been my commitment and hard work to the association,” she said.
Zainab also stressed on the point that she wanted to be voted for because of her competence and not her gender.
The third female contestant in the 2016 SLAJ elections is Fatmata Kamara-Jalloh. She is contesting to be the Financial Secretary and she has gone unopposed.
Like James, Gibson and Zainab, Fatmata has spent a considerable period of years in the profession to get the requisite experience to lead it from the top. She told Politico that she had spent more than two decades in journalism.
Her insistence on the issue of integrity and experience is important for a better SLAJ.
“I am a woman of integrity. I have been a one time director of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation, so I have earned the respect and trust that I need in the media and outside the media,” she said.
All these women are convinced that they have the required reputation and experience to lead their male counterparts in SLAJ.
(C) Politico 25/05/16
