The outgoing Vice president of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) has thanked females for remaining engaged in the 2023 electoral process.
Madam C. Winnie Saywah-Jimmy lavished praises on the women of Liberia for their continuous huge attendance at the just ended elections across the country.
The Managing Editor of the Inquirer Newspaper said women of Liberia were never neutral in the process as they vocally stepped out to the occasion not to only cast their votes for the candidates of their choice, but actively participate in the process thus describing the women as the true patriots of Liberia.
She made the assertion at her Inquirer Newspaper office at the corner of Benson and Gurley Streets on November 15, 2023, when she spoke about her own impression of the just ended runoff with her staff.
“While some of our husbands, brothers, and sons, could not decide who to vote for, we seized the opportunity to decide for them,” she said, noting the women at no time expressed neutrality unlike their male counterpart.
Unlike the October 10 polls, there was a massively slow turnout during the November 14 election across the country but among the few persons, females again out-numbered all ages of the voters that were seen at most polling places participating in the electoral process.
On October 10, none of the contesting political parties was able to attain the universal suffrage of 50 percent plus one vote to be declared winner, thus bringing to force Article 83 (b) that states, “All elections of public officers shall be determined by an absolute majority of the votes cast. If no candidate obtains an absolute majority in the first ballot, a second ballot shall be conducted on the second Tuesday following.
“The two candidates who received the greatest numbers of votes on the first ballot shall be designated to participate in the runoff election,” the law requires.
Madam Jimmy praised the women for standing in defense of the country on many fronts, including fasting and praying for the country, advocating for human rights and social inclusion for minority groups, as well as taking a key decision in the interest of the country and voting what the earlier coined, ‘one of their own.’
The Inquirer boss observed that the participation of women in the democratic processes, ranging from contesting for elected offices to holding key positions in government and other non-governmental organizations, has lifted the bar of the women populace in the country irrespective of whoever they casted their ballot in favor of.
“Every woman in this country has some political instinct and is making this presence felt in the political space, whether educated or not. We are making use of every opportunity to discuss the issues, whether in the kitchen or in our offices, and are ensuring that we sit on the table and not in the back anymore,” she said.
“I want to thank the women who are the real “sheroes” in these elections for the turnout yesterday. We decide for our homes, we decide what to do to make our husbands happy. So, taking decisions has been our responsibility, and that is why we came out yesterday to decide where we go as a country,” she said.
Madam Jimmy has also praised all female journalists for covering the electoral process yesterday, saying, “I am not trying to be discriminative, but the truth be told, we performed excellently during these elections and I must give it up to us. We deserve it,” the Inquirer Boss said.
It was observed during the October 10 and November 14 election that many female journalists covered the elections at various polling precincts across the country. Many were also heard on various radio stations reporting provisional tally results from polling places they covered.
“Our male counterparts were also in the field, but our presence at the various polling places has added values to the coverage of the election,” she said.
