The Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, has called on lawmakers in Sierra Leone to promote women’s rights and political empowerment in the sub-region and Africa in particular.
According to a release from the Parliamentary and Public Relations Department of Sierra Leone, this was a colorful event, demonstrating a brotherly and sisterly ambiance of love with speeches of gratitude from both sides of the house.
The Vice President, who doubles as the President of the Liberia Senate, was speaking in the well of Sierra Leone’s Parliament, addressing Members of Parliament on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Women’s Empowerment on June 30, 2022.
The first female Vice President of Liberia and a two-term Senate member emphasized the importance of men allowing women to work alongside them.
Vice President Taylor called on her colleague's Members of Parliament to promote the concept of "He for She", saying women are important in the development of a state; hence, she called on the Honourable Members of Parliament to support women for political representation.
The Speaker of Parliament, Honourable Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, congratulates the Vice President on her consideration to visit them and informs them of how happy they are to receive her as one of them in the Well of Parliament.
He used the opportunity to outline the configuration of the Fifth Parliament of Sierra Leone, saying the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) has 58 Members of Parliament (MPs), and the main opposition All People's Congress (APC) party has 58 MPs, the National Grant Coalition (NGC) 4 MPs, the Coalition for Change (C4C) 8 MPs, Independent MPs 3, Paramount Chiefs 14, and one pending to be confirmed before the House.
The President of the Female Caucus in the Parliament of Sierra Leone, Honourable Veronica Kadie Sesay, described Her Excellency the Liberia Vice President as a woman of substance. She said her visit was the first-ever made by a sitting female Vice President to the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone.
The Hon. Sesay re-echoed the solidarity messages to support women's participation in politics from the visiting Vice President, and a female National Anthem was sung in unison by the House.
The Leader of the Coalition for Change (C4C) party, Hon. Emerson Saa Lamina commended the Liberia Vice President for visiting Sierra Leone and for also acknowledging previous leaders who had contributed to the promotion of women in society.
The Member of Parliament commends President Julius Maada Bio for sending a Bill to the Parliament of Sierra Leone that touches on a 30 percent quota for female representation in the country.
The Acting Leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC), Hon. Mario Foday Kamara said women's empowerment is necessary but believed positions are to be merited and not in a discriminatory manner.
He said even though the Liberian Vice President is a woman of substance, he believes she fought her way up as a Vice President as he encourages other women to emulate her good examples.
Opposition The All People’s Congress (APC) party Leader in Parliament, Honourable Chernor R. M. Bah, commended their honorable guest for visiting the people of Sierra Leone and the House of Parliament.
He assures the Vice President of their support for women, but only on a merit basis.
The Leader of Government Business, Honourable Mathew Sahr Nuyma, saluted Liberia’s Vice President and her entourage. Hence, he underscored his support for women.
The Member of Parliament encourages political parties not to discriminate against the empowerment of more women, saying that God created us in his image and likeness.
He spoke of how bad policies and injustices of the past had reduced women's participation in governance in Sierra Leone. He used the occasion to highlight the importance of the Gender Bill, which is in front of Parliament for consideration.
The Vice President of Liberia, Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor
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