The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has called on President Salva Kiir and the other leaders within the presidency to nominate a woman as the spokesperson for the command structure, arguing that this would make up for the failed women’s representation in unified command.
According to CEPO Executive Director, Edmund Yakani argued in a press release seen by The City Review yesterday that the command structure appointments flouted the 35 per cent of women’s inclusion being fronted under affirmative action in the peace agreement. However, he added that this could still be restored by giving women the mouthpiece role.
‘‘Based on this evidence and as a compensation ground for the participation of women in the defence and security sector under the unification of the command structure, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, in an honourable manner, is taking this opportunity to urge H.E. President and Presidency to appoint a female uniform officer as the official spokesperson of the Unified Command Structure. This will count as sound compensation by the leadership for women’s participation in the defence and security sector,’’ Yakani stated.
Yakani challenged the other female leaders in the national government to step up and agitate for the inclusion of more women as leaders. He particularly addressed the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Angelina Teny, and the Vice President for Gender and Youth Cluster, Rebecca Nyandeng, to embrace the call.
‘‘We urge Right Honorable Speaker of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly and the Right Honourable First Deputy Speaker in the Council of States to also take the opportunity of lobbying the leadership for the appointment of a woman as spokesperson for the unified command structures. There are many capable women in uniform who can take that responsibility with merit and perform it to expectations,’’ he stated.
The call by the civil rights activist comes barely days after his counterpart Amer Deng, lashed out at the appointments last week, arguing that the appointees were not picked on merit whatsoever.
“We know that those who are engaged in high levels of the security sector are predominantly men, but some of them get promoted every now and then. So, there will be no difference if they promote women who are capable and who are already in the security sector.’’ Amer said.
“I’m not happy at all with the command structure because there is no justification for the people that they have brought into the command structure to be more qualified than any woman who is already in the armed forces. “The women there are qualified, so there is nothing that can justify that the reason why women are not there is that they are not qualified,” she added. Source: The City Review
