Miss Malawi contests in parliamentary elections

The reigning Miss Malawi Perth Msiska is contemplating to ditch the beauty pageants arena for a place in politics, as a contestant for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the Blantyre West constituency the country’s 2009 parliamentary elections.

The bold move is considered as a spring board for the Malawian women folk, considering the fact that the female gender makes up only 14 percent of the 193 members of parliament in that Southern African state.

"My family has given me the go ahead, and the gender network is supporting all the activities in the race," Miss Msiska said, during an interview with a local radio station recently.

According to GenderLinks, a gender activist group, Miss Msiska’s resolution to leave the splendour world for politics emanates from the charity work she has been doing as part of her title's obligations. The beauty queen thus surmises that as a Member of Parliament, she will offer her more room to help the needy and poor.

GenderLinks maintains that her inspirations echo what other gender activists like her have been asserting over the years, that women bring a unique, fresh and never tried before outlook to politics.

Research, according to the gender body, shows that where women are represented in politics in considerable numbers and where they enjoy conducive working conditions, they make significant difference. Cited areas comprise governance, including institutional culture, attitudes, laws, policies and service delivery.

"Women’s equal participation in decision-making is not just a democratic right, but is critical to more accountable and responsible governance. The next step is to ensure that the voting public understands the importance of gender balance in power," the body reports. It adds that if elected, the women are sure to bring a different perception to the political ring.