Women leaders are less likely to be corrupt and less tolerant of corruption than male politicians
KARACHI: According to a study by researchers at America’s Rice University, in democratic countries with generally low levels of corruption, women leaders are less likely to be corrupt and less tolerant of corruption than male politicians. That is what we badly need and there is no harm in trying this option to make a fresh start for a less corrupt government. Fortunately for us, we have two up and coming female leaders, Maryam Nawaz and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. Those who have seen, read or heard the speech delivered by Aseefa at Tando Allahyar soon after getting herself registered as a voter could see a second Benazir Bhutto in the making. It had all the charismatic charm of Shaheed Benazir and the mannerisms showed that she had inherited endurance from her father.
On the other hand, Maryam Nawaz studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Lahore, earned a master’s degree from Punjab University and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Cambridge . Fluent in four languages, she has been portrayed as a progressive heir-apparent to lead the PML-N. Since 1997, Maryam has been chairperson of the Sharif Trust, founded by her grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, Sharif Medical City and Sharif Education Institutes. She takes keen interest and is directly involved in the working of the Trust and its allied institutions, including Sharif College of Engineering & Technology, Sharif Education Complex, Sharif Model Schools for Boys & Girls, Sharif Institute of Technology and Islamic Centre.
Foreign female prime ministers include (or have included) Canada’s Kim Campbell, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Australia’s Julia Gillard, Israel’s Golda Meir, and France’s Edith Cresson. Other female national leaders include Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, Bangladesh’s Hasina Wajed and Khaleda Zia, and President Isabel Peron of Argentina.
Khawaja Amer
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2014.
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