Outspoken women politician perseveres in Mozambique

At 18-years old, Maria Ivone Soares decided politics was her calling and the decision has paid off well. Soares is now one of Mozambique’s most respected, outspoken politicians. Growing up in Maputo, Soares wanted be part of the democratic revolution, so she joined Renamo, which waged a 16-year old civil war with the ruling Frelimo to fight off socialism and is now Mozambique’s leading opposition party.

At 29-years old, Soares is also one of Mozambique’s youngest politicians, making her name as a politician, head of Renamo’s external affairs department, as well as spokesperson for the party’s election office. She is also the secretary of women politicians in the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA), an organisation that represents both ruling and opposition parties with centre and centre right policies.

As Renamo’s external affairs spokesperson, Soares is one of the country’s most prized young politicians, but she is still wary of how Mozambican society treats women politicians.

“Most people view women politicians as being not normal, and some decide not to associate with me because of my choice to enter into politics, especially in the opposition,” she says. She adds that many of her detractors were women working in the media, who still prefer to seek comment from male politicians.

Before deciding to enter into politics, Soares worked as a radio personality. “When I entered politics my main job was to plaster the party’s posters during the run up to 1994 elections,” says Soares, who has matured in media as well as politics, and now runs three online blogs.

She has also contributed to local media with work published in the magazine Tempo and the independent weekly Savana, based in Maputo. Her ascendance to politics has also seen her being bold in her politics, through her blogs, such as http://www.mariaivonesoares.blogspot.com Apart from the blogs, which she updates when her demanding political duties permit her time, she also writes poems, which she hopes to publish in a book one day.

Married for five years to a former Italian politician who is now a business executive in Maputo bolsters her position as a politician, as she says she gets support from her husband. Soares adds that one of the biggest factors preoccupying her as a politician is the fact that most women politicians do not get support from their husbands or partners.

“Husbands need to support their wives or partners who decide to enter into politics so that they prosper in their chosen field,” she says. She also noted that some husbands abused their wives who were in politics, as they felt threatened by the power they could wield as politicians.

As Mozambique holds general elections on October 28, this year, Soares’ task will be central as she organises press briefings on the activities of her party. However, she is aware that this is not an easy task, as she will be dealing with the media that she says are sceptical at times when she calls for a media briefing. “Most of the time, the publicly owned media do not want to cover events of the opposition as they mostly follow officials from the ruling party.”

In her experience in dealing with the media, Soares says there is some corruption on the part of some journalists who ask for favours from politicians in order to report stories. “Some of journalists lack resources and most of the time cover events when they are assured that there is a cocktail after the briefing, which affects the way they will report on events,” adds Soares

She says most of these incidences occur because journalists in Mozambique were “poorly paid and some of the time they ask for direct payment from sources.” She noted that better remuneration of journalists and better training was two pillars that could lead reporters to be objective in their work.

She also notes that some journalists continue to prefer to interview male politicians, disregarding women politicians. “There is need to sensitise journalists on issues of gender so that they do not look down on women politicians as incapable of performing the same way as the male counterparts,” she added.

Soares says she receives support from her female political colleagues, but the same does not happen in society in general, which often does not respect women politicians, especially in opposition parties.

She also has a strong message to aspiring women politicians to follow their dreams. “Women who feel they have a calling into politics need to follow their dreams at a young age so that they get enough experience and gain confidence,” she says.

Mozambique is one of Southern African countries with the highest number of women politicians elected to parliament or to ministry positions. The country’s Prime Minister, Luisa Diogo, is one of the country’s top female politicians and as the country goes to elections, it is expected more women will find seats in parliament and as ministers.

However, time will tell when they country could have a woman president or a candidate who will campaign in future elections as a presidential candidate or lead a political party.

* Fred Katerere is a foreign correspondent based in Maputo. This article is part of the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service.