Cultivating Perceptions through Community Networks
Women MPs cultivate perceptions through community networks by mobilising leaders and people at all administrative levels, from the parish to village, sub-county and district. Mobilisers are the voice of the MPs in the lower levels, connecting MPs and the voters; they share the political agendas of the women MPs and inform the MPs about the constituents’ needs. Community networks keep the MPs present in the minds of the voters. In addition, FGDs revealed that women in reserved seats are likelier to engage the youth than women MPs in open seats; this style builds synergy among the voters and directly affects elections. Women use the youth because the youth appeal to fellow youth who are the majority of voters. The youth also happen to be very influential mobilisers known to the people who could speak well of the candidate.
Mobilisers are enthusiastic about their role because they hope that when their candidates make it, they will equally support them in seeking leadership opportunities. Tamale (1999:165) noted it as a two-way advantage; the mobilisers can use their political capital as a platform to win their seats at the local levels.
Conclusion
This study concluded that although all women MPs cultivate perceptions, women in reserved seats are better cultivators. Furthermore, women cultivate perceptions based on voter characteristics and the location of the voters; rural constituencies perceive good performance as the ability of the MP to meet their immediate needs and availability in the community. While for elite/urban voters, the legislative performance of MPs matters more. One reason for rural voters to be persuaded by MPs who meet their needs is the deprived conditions they find themselves in and the fact they are not well informed about the legislative roles of MPs. Women MPs, irrespective of their seats, capitalise on community projects and the distribution of material items due to high levels of poverty afflicting communities, most of whom live in rural areas. Women MPs, hence, have cultivated perceptions based on what is essential for particular voters by meeting voter expectations. Thus, voter expectations condition the fundamental roles of representation, legislation and oversight. Meeting those expectations is the primary mode of cultivating the resource of positive voter perception.
References
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