Liberal Women Leaders Tell Their Stories

On 27-30 September 2019, twelve liberal women leaders from Asia, Africa and Europe told their stories – and they were riveting and inspiring.

There was the story of a promising young South African woman and how she recovered from a car accident that left almost her entire body paralyzed; a Filipino female mayor who stood her ground after her city was attacked by rebels for two weeks; an immigrant Cambodian woman who was able to start a new life in the United States as a professional pharmacist, but still chose to be politically active in the restoration of democracy in her motherland. There were a lot more stories, and all of them deserve to be heard and appreciated by a bigger audience.

It was for this reason that the Women’s Caucus of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) partnered with a globally renowned training bureau, the Speech Republic, to elevate the communication skills of current and upcoming female liberal leaders from CALD member-parties and partners.  Hence, for three days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, these woman leaders experienced an unconventional communication training that drew heavily from introspection and self-reflection.  With the guidance of Speech Republic training coaches, Natasha Jacobsz and Monique Renuka, the participants learned and practiced the need for empathy, facts, compliments, promise and call to action in public speeches.

“I am very thankful to CALD for this opportunity to gather women coming from different countries in Asia and beyond to find our voice and become effective in our role and mission as leaders and servants”, said Beng Climaco-Salazar, mayor of Zamboanga City, Philippines. “This is an opportunity for us not only to appreciate culture but also to be one in the struggles of our sisters in different parts of the world where there is still a disparity in the rights of people.  Because of this, it makes democracy and liberalism alive, and also gives us a challenge to appreciate what we have and what we can do in unity with our sisters.”

On 27 September, a one-day preparatory meeting facilitated by Women and Gender Institute’s (WAGI) Tesa de Vela also took place on the proposed Asian Women Education (AWE) for Leadership.  AWE is envisioned to become an innovative and transformative training programme for promising women leaders in Southeast and East Asia who aspire to enter politics.  The programme, which is slated to be launched in 2020, targets a combination of up-and-coming non-affiliated female leaders and women members of CALD parties who are expected to contest a national or local election.

“Let me tell you something: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think”, said CALD Women’s Caucus Chairperson Jayanthi Devi Balaguru in her closing remarks. “Everything you need, is already inside you. Don’t wait for others to light your fire. You have your own matches.”