The era of tokenism is long over
Woman's-eye View
The call is for 30 per cent women representatives in Parliament. This, of course, being some pretty low gravy, compared to the worldwide campaign now on to push for 50-50 representation - in the spirit of authenticating gender balance at the highest levels of decision-making. But for us here in dimland, it seemed a reasonable and achievable place to start. How well we lobbied and negotiated to give root and wing to the gender equality guarantees that we had recommended and which were successfully included in the Constitution Reform Commission's Report! Then, it seemed that before our very eyes, the all-male Oversight Committee ordained by Parliament to oversee the process within the National Assembly contracted dyslexia (without the outstanding gifts and talents normally accompanying the condition, let it be said, of bona fide dyslexia). These well intentioned, but gender-blind gentlemen just turned the recommendation upside down and back to front, emptied it of contextual significance and left it hanging out on a limb. Once again, the saving grace of the Guyana Parliament was of the non-human variety - the beautifully embossed ceiling that at least provided some small measure of excellence, by way of comfort, as one raised one's eyes skyward in disbelief and consternation at the proceedings! The communique published by the broad-based women's committee in response to the overturning of the spirit and letter of Recommendation 9.5.3 in the Constitution Reform Commission's Report by the Oversight Committee quotes the recommendation in full:
"Recommendation 9.5.3.
(3) There should be an enshrined general principle, which encourages women's participation in public decision-making so that they can inform national decisions which affect women significantly. Parliament should be required to take measures designed to increase women's participation in the various processes and fora of decision-making in society, including the National Assembly itself, to a level that takes into account the proportion that women form of the society. The communique goes on to point out the fallacy of the Oversight Committee's ruling that the party lists should comprise 30 per cent women candidates to be fielded, but does not carry the main section of the recommendation which seeks to guarantee 30 per cent women's representation in the Parliament itself as the logical purpose and consequence of the number of women on the party lists in the first place. The point being that there is little point in getting women on the lists if their place in the local government organs and National Assembly is not proportionately guaranteed as well. The era of tokenism and empty gender gestures is long over. It just will not do to have the principle of women's representation as proposed relegated to that of a toothless poodle. Guyana signed on some time ago to the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the CEDAW convention. We recently prepared and presented our country report on the monitoring and compliance of this convention. One would therefore hope that we would not be turning back the clock in this instance. The great challenge and significance of guaranteeing women's representation across the board in Parliament is that this holds out, perhaps, the best hope for forming bipartisan/multipartisan alliances and lobbies in the interest of the wider society, since there are so many shared priorities, issues and concerns. Well, at least an A-score is deserved for level of effort on the part of the broad-based women's collective that pushed the agenda. But, after that, surely a D-score for us all for failure of effort to continue the good fight and especially, to intensify the education and action in the run up to the elections. Maybe what we need is to borrow the strategy or example from the Women's March campaign and mobilise countrywide. Make some waves and win the 1/3 seats for women in the new Parliament, and on the RDCs in all the ten regions in Guyana. This could be our collective goal and whether or not we fall short this time around, the platform built in so doing will make for a solid foundation upon which to build up an active, militant and meaningful women's movement. Wouldn't this make for a wonderful and positive 2001 Women's Elections Platform? The PPP and PNC and TUF and WPA and GGG and GAP (and the varying others) all fielding sufficient women candidates and campaigning under a Women's Representative Protocol that would honour the letter and the spirit of the women's lobby in the constitution reform process. It might even redeem the elections themselves. Certainly, the PPP and PNC Women MPs - the main contenders in the race for majority seats - were key movers and shakers in the push for the 1/3 quota of the women's representatives and the general level of consensus arrived at between and amongst them on the issue of closing the gender gap in Parliament was a most hopeful and positive sign. Positive enough to perhaps hope out loud that there stands a good chance this time around for establishing a Parliamentary Women's Caucus in the new-post elections Parliament? The GAP and Amerindian women's representation Many of us are very interested in the new Amerindian-led party, the Guyana Action Party. I like the acronym - GAP. I think if things work out as anticipated that GAP will close the gap in terms of Amerindian representation at the highest levels. And that this in turn will narrow the 'gap' between the PPP & PNC fight for majority, perhaps forcing a power-sharing compromise after all. Woman's Eye-View will be watching the emergence of GAP with interest and especially to see if it will be bold enough and progressive enough to promote and field a strong contingent of Amerindian women representatives. This would really close the biggest gap in our society - the very limited voice and visibility of Amerindian women in Guyana's Parliament, and within the other power structures of the society. Caribbean women honoured: Peggy Antrobus & Andaiye On November 9 and 10, Peggy Antrobus, veteran Caribbean economist, thinker, women's movement leader will be formally honoured and a review and critique of her thought and analysis carried out over a two-day seminar in Barbados. During this session, Andaiye and a number of other women's activists will also be honoured.
Woman's Eye View honour Roll
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