By Alagie Manneh
Jainaba Bah, one of the two women candidates in last Saturday’s mayoral and chairmanship election has said she has not lost anything in her unsuccessful bid for the Brikama Area Council seat.
Bah who contested on the ticket of the People’s’ Progressive Party, finished a distant 5th to winner UDP’s Yankuba Darboe. She said elections are just means of selecting representatives and once the people have decided, their voices should be respected. But she said politics does not stop at elections alone.
“Elections come and go, but as politicians, the struggle continues,” Ms Bah told The Standard yesterday. “I have always been a politician with an agenda to work with women of West Coast and that will continue. Losing an election will not stop me from doing what I promised. I will continue to work on my programmes,” she said.
She disclosed that all West Coast residents have a responsibility and they must come together now to focus on developing the region.
“I contested because I want to inspire other women and wipe out the fear by women politicians who suffer from criticisms and male chauvinism each time they dare to contest for political office. Women have been sitting back, lacking courage to come forward and my participation will encourage them to wake up from that slumber,” she said. She called for more women to contest elective positions. “And I’m grateful that people, even some women, are encouraging me. People have dropped the chauvinism and insults now because since I started nobody insulted me. So, I encourage all women to come forward and contest,” she added.
