Stabroek News
March 18, 2001

Women representatives of political parties contesting tomorrow's general elections have come out against any form of violence during this period and are advocating peace and justice before and after polling.

And in a letter, the Women's Auxiliary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress asked Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis to send a representative to meet a delegation from the GTUC to address acts of violence by some members of the Guyana Police Force against women in Guyana. The Women's Auxiliary also expressed disgust at the manhandling of Maria Benschop, wife of the controversial television talk-show host, Mark Benschop, by a policeman.

Reading from a prepared statement at a press briefing at the Hotel Tower yesterday, administrator of Help and Shelter, Lisa Thompson, urged peace on elections day.

The women representing the various political parties were Hazel Garnette of the People's Republican Party, Andaiye of the Guyana Action Party/Working People's Alliance, Cheryl Sampson and Supriya Singh of the PNC REFORM, Arlene Aaron of the National Front Alliance and Joan Collins of The United Force. No representative of the People's Progressive Party/Civic was present.

The statement said that though Guyana was not a country at war "it is clearly a country with serious conflict between the two largest race groups--conflict that becomes sharper and more visible during electoral periods."

In this rising conflict women can play three roles--contribute to it, turn a blind eye, or speak out against it--and the women in politics have chosen to speak out against it.

The statement urged that "?we take time to find out what is a small, ?normal? hitch in the electoral process and what is not; and that our actions in defence of our rights--whatever they are--do not contribute to tensions between the races."

Above all, women who decide to engage in protest action were asked not to encourage or even permit sexual or other abuse of other women, including women of other races.

Referring to the police and those who command them, the women asked that "they protect the rights of citizens to peaceful protest, whether their protest is quiet or noisy, and that they stop even the appearance of targeting women for violence."

Women, the statement reiterated, want peace in homes, on the streets, in the country, with neighbours and in communities on elections day and on the days before and after. And for there to be peace, the statement said, "there must be both justice and the assurance that there will be justice."