Will Teixeira, Harding and Holder champion women’s issues?

Feb 20, 2011 Features / Columnists, Stella Says

With two women running as presidential candidates this year and one running as a prime ministerial candidate, this seems the perfect time to ensure that women’s issues finally find a way to the top of the national campaign agenda.
The situation concerning domestic violence was stated well in a Kaieteur News report on February 6, “Unlawful assault and malicious wounding are just a few of the domestic violence offences that had begun to plague the judiciary. With courts sitting every working day of the week, more and more cases of domestic abuse find their way before the jurists. Despite the tireless campaign by women activist groups, lobbying [against] violence against women, more incidents are being reported.”
Domestic violence is just one of the many issues facing women in Guyana – albeit one of the more serious ones. Gordon Moseley clearly stated another issue on his Facebook page this past week when he posted this status, “It’s messed up to see the high number of women who don’t have a choice but to become security guards and work late at nights in all types of situations just to make ends meet. A national shame. Our women deserve so much better.”
These and many more issues facing women need to be at the forefront of the agendas for the various political parties in the coming months. And if the parties themselves will not make women’s issues a dominant topic, the female candidates themselves should do so.
If one specific group of people was being killed on a constant basis, as women are being killed – the killings would be considered a hate crime and all of the people in that group would be protesting and petitioning the government until the killings stopped. However, because it is women being murdered – and somehow that makes it acceptable to society – these brutal murders continue unabated.
Having female leaders in political parties should mean those females represent the females of their country at large. Those female candidates should be rallying the women voters by telling them their lives are important to the respective parties and the country at large. Yet it is as if no one cares about the female voters, not the male or female candidates.
If the female candidates do not care about the plight of the Guyanese women, then where can the women turn for help? Little has changed to help women. In fact, the killings are increasing. Where can the women of Guyana take their cries for help? I certainly hope one – or all – of these female candidates steps up and does right by the sisters of their nation.
Who are these female candidates? One of the PPP’s presidential candidates is Gail Teixeira. The PNC has Faith Harding as a presidential candidate.
And Sheila Holder is the prime ministerial candidate for the AFC. All of these women are solid leaders in their own right, but will their leadership bring change for the women of Guyana?
Let’s face it; a good portion of the male leadership in the nation has hardly been good examples of how to do right by women. They beat, abuse and objectify women on a constant basis. What do the 2011 female candidates have to say about the way their male counterparts treat the women of Guyana? I want to know the answer to this question. The women of Guyana want to know the answer to this question.
Regardless of any past history these female candidates may have concerning issues impacting women, in their new roles as female candidates for high ranking positions, they now need to speak as to whether women can expect solid representation from them.
If these female candidates hide behind politics and do not take a strong stance on women’s issues – we can expect no better future for the situation of Guyana’s women than has been given by the male leaders.
There have been many successful female presidential and prime ministerial candidates throughout the world who have ran on a platform that included empowering the women of their nation.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia did a marvellous job of rallying the women of her nation. Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet is now serving as the under-secretary-general and executive director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women – a newly created post.
If the female candidates of Guyana cannot take a strong stance against the way women are treated, if they cannot find the courage to denounce the poor example set by too many of the nation’s male leaders – they might as well be just another male leader who looks the other way as women die brutal deaths every single week.
I have been waiting patiently – as have the women of the nation – for one of these female candidates to take a stand for the women of Guyana. This has not yet happened. If it does not happen at all, I will be sorely disappointed in all of these candidates.
Yes, there are many issues to be addressed in this campaign season, but the sad state of affairs concerning women should be one of the top issues to these female leaders. The women of Guyana deserve representation that will make a tangible difference in their lives. They have a right to be safe and happy.
What women need now is a woman who is not afraid to champion their cause. The question is whether we can find this champion in Gail Teixeira, Faith Harding or Sheila Holder. Please do not disappoint us ladies.