Friday-Saturday, April 28-29, 2006

Potential candidates learn about campaigning, political empowerment

By Victoria Macchi

AMMAN — A group of women contemplating running for public office convened in Ajloun over the past two days to learn about campaigning and political empowerment.

The forum, which concluded yesterday, provided nearly 30 women with a platform to discuss everything from determining if one should run for election to the tools needed for a successful campaign, primarily at the municipal level.

Former legislators and potential candidates attended the two-day seminar "Running for Office: Strategies for Success," organised by the local office of the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI).

Mary Beth Barber, brought by IRI to coach women in Ajloun and Tafileh this week, instructed the women to be realistic about running for public office.

"If you have something that is happening in your personal life that would take away too much time from the job... or the job would take away from you personally, it may not be the perfect time to run."

She suggested to the women, many of them members of women's organisations in the north, to support candidates if they themselves cannot run.

Other advice from Barber included using life experiences and "innate" personality traits to propel candidates who lack political experience towards running for office.

"If you have either held a job that involves a lot of team building and team work, that is something that can eventually apply to the political process," said Barber.

"And when somebody says, well you don't have any experience, you can say... `I have done A, B and C' that does — that can apply — in a certain situation."

"The municipal elections are the perfect place [for women] to start," she added.

"You start locally, you get the support, the acknowledgement and the respect of the people — in this case from the tribes," she suggested to the participants.

A recurring issue mentioned by workshop attendees was the influence and importance of tribalism in the absence of a developed party system.

"We can't separate tribalism from politics" as long as political parties are weak, said Iman Al Hussein, a professor at Al Balqa University and a member of the Salt Municipal Council.

The gravest problem facing women in the electoral process, however, is self-confidence, according to Hussein.

"You see here a woman participating in training, and she still believes that... the man has the power and the women can't," she told The Jordan Times following a discussion between experienced female politicians and attendees.

"We should believe that we have the minds to do this... we need to empower ourselves," added Hussein, who is contemplating running for Parliament in the next election.

While optimistic about political party reform, she explained that the educational system and civil society must evolve to support women in politics and change mentalities.

Participant Faiza Ajloun stated matter-of-factly that women "need the support of men" to campaign successfully.

The participants also debated the current voting system and the quota for women in government.

At a similar seminar held in Tafileh earlier this week, former senator Nuha Maayta said she witnessed firsthand the benefits of the quota system.

"I can touch what the change is in the area, and how encouraged the people are there...," she told The Jordan Times.

In addition to sharing her experiences in politics, Maayta, who is considering running in the next parliamentary elections, also briefed the participants on the draft municipalities law and how it would affect them.

Her advice to fledgling candidates is "to study, analyse... what their constituents need."

The size of the constituency does not matter, Maayta explained, as long as the candidate is in touch with the community and its needs.

"It's really power when you have more information...," she added.