Political power for women tied to economic upliftment - Olver Leadership institute graduates 105 By Andrew Richards Stabroek News July 4, 2000 An awareness of women's role in the decision-making process and as an integral part of society was evident when the Guyana Women's Leadership Institute (GWLI) held its graduation ceremony on Friday. Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Richard Olver, noted that economic power for women meant more political power for them. It was his conviction that for there to be good governance, women must be involved in the decision-making process. He described the system as flawed and incomplete without women's participation. Listing the attitude of men and the attitudes within women themselves as two of the major obstacles to be overcome, he applauded the move by political parties in Guyana to make 30% of their candidates females. Gender equity, he stressed, was important to empowerment. Head of the Women Studies Unit, University of Guyana, Michelle Rodrigues, felt that education could be pursued irrespective of gender, age, class and experiences. "Equally important is the consensus, that women, like their male counterparts, have the capacity and ability to be perceptive, constructive, incisive, and decisive in all issues which affect humankind," she said. She said that now that the graduates had completed training, there was no excuse for them not to effect change around them. She urged them to remove any negative notions of innovation and change that society might have as regards females, stating that their success will be judged by their upward mobility and their impact on their communities. "You can now confidently join forces against the scourge of indifferent attitude, ...the scourge of women's perceived powerlessness," she challenged. Commending the class for seizing the opportunity to explore and understand themselves, she asserted that they had removed some of the confines of poverty. Moreover, Yvonne Stephenson, viewed the gathering as a demonstration of discipline. She pointed out that the graduation came with responsibilities and was the start of a new phase in their lives. She informed the 105 graduates that they had signed a social contract with society because taxpayers' money was spent to train them for almost a year. "... You must see yourselves as being obligated to those persons, sharing your skills and your knowledge wherever feasible. There is no doubt in my mind that sharing in this context is a key factor in strengthening the women's network." Making a call for women's organisations to devote time to the real problems facing society, Stephenson remarked, that women's status needed continuous nurturing and attention. According to Wanda Chesney, co-ordinator, the biggest challenge the programme faced was changing attitudes. She said the women's learning period included a re-examination of themselves and their values. She opined that the next steps for the women were remembering what was taught and arming themselves with the right attitude. The learning centre was the brainchild of Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Indra Chandarpal and is aimed at ensuring women's capabilities are advanced and that they are allowed involvement in activities in society. Guided by the motto "Enhancing capabilities and increasing choices", the GWLI started off as an experiment last year October with 126 persons drawn from as far as Timehri, East Bank Demerara, and Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara. There were some drop-outs but Friday's programme saw endurance and perseverance of women between the ages of 17 and 50. Others present at the third graduation and prize giving ceremony held at the Umana Yana were former president, Janet Jagan, and Chandarpal. (Charlene Stuart) Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today