By Tiwonge Ndau
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha has said Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson, Justice Jane Ansah will not resign as MEC Chairperson.
The minister said this Wednesday during a women- pro- Jane Ansah- solidarity march in Blantyre which was organized by Forum for Concerned Women Association (FCWA).
In her speech, Navicha said enough is enough and that Dr. Jane Ansah has been persecuted a lot and it was time her fellow women fought for her cause.
“Ansah is our fellow woman and all the insults that people have been throwing at her are thrown to us as well, so I advise all Malawians to stop abusing women at any cost.
“My ministry is dedicated and will bring to book anyone masterminding violence against women at any level,” the minister said.
Navicha commended all the women who made it to the solidarity walk in large numbers in support of Jane Ansah and to show the world how concerned they are about what Ansah is going through.
“We are here to protect our fellow woman and this is just the beginning. We will win this battle no matter how hard the fight will be. If the insults continue we will hold more demonstrations,” she said.
Chairperson for FCWA, Seodi White who was the main organiser for the demonstrations, said she was more than satisfied with the level of women who participated in the pro-Ansah walk.
“As women, they have really shown how angry and displeased they are towards the humiliation, persecution and emotional torture Justice Ansah is receiving from some individuals in the country,” White said.
She said she and all the women are deeply unhappy with the recent demonstrations against Jane Ansah. She said no matter what, Jane Ansah would not resign.
“The disgruntled people who are forcing Ansah to step down are doing this because she is a woman, had it been he was their fellow man they could not have dared him. We can assure them that Ansah will not fall nor give in to their demands,” said White.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary General, Grezeder Jeffrey said she attended the pro-Ansah demonstrations, not as a DPP Secretary General, but as one of the concerned women in the country.
She said DPP demonstrations will be held on Friday, July 12, 2019 in celebration of the May 21 elections victory.
In his speech when receiving the petition from FCWA deputy chairperson, Caroline Mvalo, Blantyre City Director of Administration, Lytton Nkata said they would present the petition to relevant authorities for their action.
According to White, this was the fourth time for women to hold such demonstrations since the formation of FCWA.-MANA