Female candidates urged to avoid lies during campaign

A female representative candidate in Montserrado County District #8 Florence Kaydea is urging fellow women contestants to do away with lies in their campaign messages.”Don’t tell the people what you can’t do for them,” Ms. Kaydea said Monday, 25 September while participating in a workshop organized for female candidates at the Christian Fellowship on 9th Street, Sinkor in Monrovia.

In discouraging false promises among female representative candidates, Ms. Kaydea wonders why contestants would promise electorate that they would build roads when they know that it is not the responsibility of a lawmaker.

“Why should you tell the people that you will build roads? Remember if you lie the first time, you will lie again to cover the first lie. So please don’t lie during your campaign,” she cautions.
Also speaking at the workshop, another female candidate of Montserrado County District #13, Daintowon Domah Pay-Bayee expresses frustration over the alleged stereotyping of women candidates by many people allegedly attribute President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf’s alleged failure to all women.

The training was organized and conducted by the Organization for Women and Children in Liberia with sponsorship from OXFAM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.Giving an overview of the program, the Executive Director of the Organization for Women and Children in Liberia, Mmonbeydo N. J. Harrell said the training is intended for women.

The female candidates were taught based on several topics including polling counting procedures for 2017, women’s involvement in mediation and conflict resolution during elections and post [elections] violence, and building platform to engage throughout the election, among others.

The first presenter at the training, a consultant on Gender Inclusive Election Project, Lisa Kindervater urged women candidates not to stereotype during their campaign. She wants female candidates to be sensitive in giving their campaign messages in public that involves both men and women.

“When you go out there campaigning, you should avoid stereotyping against men,” she says, cautioning female candidates not to tell electorate to vote for them because they are women. “If you say that, how will the men feel about you? Remember that you also need the men’s votes,” she says.

Ms. Kindervater however urges female candidates to challenge negative stereotypes against women and also wants them to strongly promote themselves and what they can do when elected.  The training was interactive and participatory with female candidates asking questions and explaining how they are carrying out their campaign in their various districts.

By Ethel A. Tweh–Edited by Winston W. Parley