Southern Lebanon- The harsh experience redraw the image of the southern woman in Lebanon, transcending the stereotypes in which it was restricted for decades. The war formed a turning and driving point for it towards storming fields as long as they were traditionally attributed to men, foremost of which is public affairs and municipal work.
As the municipal and optional entitlements entered the local council elections, its decisive stages, the women’s candidacy, especially in the towns that faced the war and its consequences directly, highlights.
The indicators of the current electoral session in southern Lebanon show a qualitative shift in the level of women’s participation, which is evident in the increase in the number of filters and their boldness in offering clear visions of municipal and optional work, payments with the will of change and the desire to rebuild their societies.
Al -Jazeera Net monitored through meetings with a number of female candidates, how they fought this entitlement in a fragile security and economic reality, as well as their motives for candidacy, their aspirations and perceptions of public work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcyiqnguhtg
Partner and effective
In the city of Nabatiyeh, in southern Lebanon, Lina Sayyah is in her first experience in municipal work as a candidate within the “Nabatiyeh deserves life” list, driven by a firm belief that the city deserves a administration that goes beyond the traditional approach.
Sayyah told Al -Jazeera Net, “I did not run for a personal goal, but rather a deep sense of responsibility towards the city and its people. The Nabatiyah is going through an accurate stage, between the effects of war and the decline in basic services, as well as a general feeling of frustration that infiltrates the souls, from here we decided that the civil voice is present with a clear and courageous plan in the face of reality,” Sayyah told Al -Jazeera Net.
Also, her decision to run – confirm a shout – was not improvised or hesitant, but rather from Iman that women should be involved in public affairs, especially in municipal work. “In our southern society, the participation of women is still limited and often symbolic, but we are working to be effective and influential, and I am proud to be from those who threaten this road with confidence and will.”
It refers to the great challenges facing any change project, from rebuilding confidence in the municipal councils to financing difficulties, leading to the resistance of some of the idea of change, especially if it comes at the hands of women.
And you see that the role of women in the municipal affairs is not limited to improving services and infrastructure, but rather extends it to establishing a different institutional approach, and explains that they want women to be an effective partner in planning, decision -making, control, and building transparent municipal institutions, “the voice of women is not detailed, but an urgent necessity” according to their description.
Sayyah concluded by addressing the southern women, “Politics and municipal work are not exclusive to anyone, you are not only either, an employee or activist, but a partner and a decision maker when you choose to participate, and the change begins with a step, and today more than before the south needs your voice.”
Honor
In the border town of Ramia, which was completely destroyed during the Israeli aggression, Zainab Ali Saleh appears as a candidate for the municipal council membership, based on its history as a social activist always present alongside the people.
Zainab tells Al -Jazeera Net, she was nominated for her desire to serve people, who encouraged her to continue and demanded that, and she realizes the size of the challenges awaiting her, because the small town still needs almost everything; From infrastructure to support for agriculture, which is its primary resource.
“Ramia relies on agriculture, from olives, tobacco, wheat, etc., all of which were damaged by the war, and the town needs someone to work for it, and plans to rise up after all this destruction.”
And you see that the mere candidacy in itself is a bold step, especially in light of the lack of participation of women in this field, and she says, “We no longer tolerate staying without a role, neither in our country, nor in our homes, nor in our livelihoods, it is necessary to improve services, and that municipal work is based on a long -term vision.”
The candidate concluded, “Even if I am not lucky, just a nomination is a moral support for women who have been encouraging, and this may lead them to go through the experience next time, we must attend and participate.”
Look and insist
As for the gift of Talal Bitar, the independent candidate for the membership of the Municipal Council in the town of “Nabatiyeh Al -Tahta” in southern Lebanon, her electoral battle is based on a clear vision of change that the time is no longer to be postponed more, and that the moment of change and reform has come, especially after Nabatieh passed by from crises that burdened its people.
With a steady pace, Heba has advanced to the municipal work scene to confirm that women have a pivotal role that cannot be ignored in building society and serving people, and she says to Al -Jazeera Net, “The road was not easy, she faced criticism and bullying just because I was a woman, and the election photo was torn 5 times, but I did not retreat and prepared her comment every time with greater determination and determination.”
Heba believes that change starts from the ground up, by providing real services to people and working for a more just and organized city. The woman calls for a “real partner” to achieve achievements, and is present in every site through which society can serve, adding, “I encourage the strength of the participation of women in public and political life, and I invite them to break the barriers and contribute to decision -making.”
The position and the role
As for Ramah Ahmed Qubaisi, the candidate for the position of “Al -Mukhtar” in the town of Al -Duwair, Nabatiyeh district, she takes her independent experience in a position that is still the male domination of it, according to it.
“My candidacy came after the interruption of municipal and optional elections for years, and with the declaration of the Minister of Interior the intention of the state to make this year, I saw that the opportunity is possible to change, so I decided to run it on my own,” she says to Al -Jazeera Net.
She is aware of her candidacy in a society that is not accustomed to having a woman at the Al -Mukhtar site, and explains that despite the arrival of the Lebanese woman to Parliament and the Ministry, local positions, such as the position of Mukhtar, are still “almost exclusive” to men, and adds, “This is a double goal; at the level of my town, and the entire Nabatiyeh spends.”
She pointed out that people are immediately wondering about programs and plans before the candidate takes over the position, and responds with confidence, “I have a wide plan, the chosen is not just a signer of transactions, but rather a person who exists daily among people, listening, solving, continuing and initiating.”
“We are all affected by the war and the harsh conditions, it is time to change, we must offer new faces that have a real desire to work, to bring people to some psychological comfort, and some hope.”
