Hillary Clinton and Gender Equality
It is no longer news that former American Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, on June 4 became the first woman in American history to become a presumptive presidential nominee for a political party. Mrs. Clinton clinched the Democratic Party nomination for the forthcoming United States presidential election after getting the required number of delegates - 2,383 - the number needed to make her the presumed nominee. Mrs. Clinton reached the threshold with a super big win in Puerto Rico over fellow Democratic hopeful, Mr. Bernie Sanders.
It has taken a long 227 years to get even this far since George Washington was elected president of a newly independent America in 1789. The journey of Mrs. Clinton’s White House aspiration did not just begin. It started precisely on January 20, 2007. That was the first time she declared her candidacy for the White House only to be surprisingly trounced by a relatively unknown Barack Obama who dazzled Americans and, indeed, the whole world with his extra-ordinary oratory prowess and unrivalled political networking.
With the unlikely prospect of outfoxing Obama for the coveted seat, Mrs. Clinton had to wait for another eight years to actualise her dream. That her exhilaration knows no bound at achieving such unprecedented feat should be understandable. Shortly after attaining the historic feat, a visibly excited Mrs. Clinton, while addressing an equally elated crowd of supporters, said: “We are on the brink of a historic and unprecedented moment”.
Mrs. Clinton, a former Secretary of State, former New York Senator and former First Lady, scored a significantly greater lead over fellow Democratic contender, Mr. Sanders than Barack Obama had over her in 2008. It will be recalled that Mr. Obama led Mrs. Clinton by 131 pledged delegates and 105 super delegates at the point he clinched the nomination in 2008.
The icing for Mrs. Clinton is her recent endorsement by American President, Mr. Obama. According to Obama, having worked with Mrs. Clinton for some time, there is no better candidate to succeed him order than the former First Lady. Many had referred to Mr. Obama’s backing as a boost for Mrs. Clinton presidential aspirations while others simply see it as an albatross considering what they termed “Obama’s un-impressive presidency”.
This, of course, is just by the way. The way things currently stand; Mrs. Clinton had, no doubt, made history in the political annals of her country and her political antecedent as a former First Lady, former Senator and former Secretary of State are by no means intimidating. She has shown herself as a woman who has the will to tread where others tremble. The strength of her political conviction, resolve and will power know no bounds. She is a daring and focused woman who only pays attention to her destination.
Characteristically, advocates of gender equality across the world and, especially in Nigeria, have been celebrating Mrs. Clinton’s victory which they see as a victory for the womenfolk. The mainstay of their argument is that there is no better way to draw global attention to their course than a Mrs. Clinton presidency. To them, when and if it eventually happens, a Mrs. Clinton presidency would undoubtedly help to further their course. Expectedly, in Nigeria, many gender equality promoters are rooting for Mrs. Clinton to make it to the White House. This is based on the conviction that Mrs. Clinton’s rising political profile will further boost their drive for gender equality campaign in the land.
Understandably, as a result of limited opportunities and the resultant stiff competition for space across almost every sector, drive for gender equality seemingly has some merits in our clime. Tayo Ogunbiyi, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos