Support for Malawi’s vice president Joyce Banda is building with the country’s non-governmental organisations (NGOs) mother body, the Council for Non-Governmental Organisations in Malawi (CONGOMA), pledging to support any woman vying for a position including that of the presidency.

This should be the first sign that a decision by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to handpick president Bingu wa Mutharika’s brother as its presidential candidate will backfire.

“CONGOMA would like to condemn the statement and we want to fully pledge our support to all women in Malawi who are aspiring for any positions, with that of the high office [the presidency] not an exception,” chair Voice Mhone was quoted by The Nation on Tuesday as saying in a statement.

“We all know that Malawi as a nation signed the AU [African Union] protocol on the 50:50 campaign which promotes women to key positions and Malawi as a nation made great strides in this.

“Therefore, having statements like these from a high profile member of the ruling party is retrogressive and unfortunate.”

The statement referred to remarks by the DPP regional governor for the southern region Noel Masangwi who said the country is not ready for a female president.

Vice president Banda also serves as the party’s first vice president.

A member of the W8, an exclusive group of eight influential women lobbying world leaders to help fight issues affecting women, Dorothy Ngoma, was also quoted by the paper as saying the party should give Banda a chance if she wanted to stand as president in 2014.

“I don’t think anybody in this country has the right to intimidate or harass any woman,” Ngoma was quoted as saying. “Why mention Joyce Banda? This is harassment of the highest order.

“It’s intimidation and my own assessment is that he [Masangwi] wanted to humiliate her, intimidate and instil fear in women.”

Sanje Msiska