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Opposition calls on Jagdeo to apologise for derogatory remarks about female MP
Kaieteur News – The political opposition on Friday called on Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to apologise to Alliance For Change’s (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Catherine Hughes for derogatory statements he made on Thursday at a press conference.
It is not the first time the Vice President has made derogatory statements about members of the Opposition.
On Thursday, Jagdeo called Hughes a “lowlife”. He said that there were persons out to get at the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), the party he belongs to. Then he said that Hughes, a former government minister under the APNU+AFC coalition government was upset that only three persons attended a public meeting held in the mining town of Linden.
The Vice President said, “…and from someone, a lowlife like Cathy Hughes who used to award contracts to herself, to her own company in her own ministry.”
On Friday, Leader of the AFC Khemraj Ramjattan said that “We have this nasty attitude of calling senior politicians especially AFC members low lives.”
Ramjattan said that Jagdeo must apologize, calling his actions, “Most reprehensible, most ignoble”.
“This guy has gotten to the state of almost insanity now and he cussing everybody and he misquoting, he quoting Venezuela memorials now no shame,” the AFC leader said.
Former Chief of Staff Gary Best joined the call saying “I just want to join with the leader of the AFC in calling for an apology from the gentleman who referred to an AFC member of parliament as a ‘low life’. That is reprehensible and should not be allowed to in this country, and there are many agencies that should speak to this issue…”
Member of Parliament Amanza Walton in her contribution stated that, “I want to be very, very clear that this level of misogyny in our politics is unacceptable. This is a female Member of Parliament that was called a ‘low life’, my colleague, Mrs. Catherine Hughes… and Bharrat Jagdeo must be made to apologize.”
Taking note of the recent murder and abuse of women in Guyana Walton-Desir said, “For the last three weeks, how many women have we lost to violence? Women murdered, whether by intimate partners… found raped and battered? So for the Vice President of this country to treat, and to address a member of the National Assembly, a female member of the National Assembly and a former minister in such a manner.
We must understand that this type of attitude at the highest levels of leadership, directly contributes to what we are seeing playing out today in our society. And it must be condemned, the levels of micro aggression women in politics face must be condemned,” the MP said.
Further, Walton-Desir said women are attacked for the way they look, noting that it is because of the types of micro-aggressions that occur that “people like Bharrat Jagdeo believe that it is comfortable for you to call a female leader of this country a lowlife and so I expect it to be condemned by all.”
The MP said that she is expecting “to see the Ethnic Relations Commission, in the same manner that they are hounding Mr. Sherod Duncan, to require the Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to issue an immediate and unequivocal apology to Mrs. Hughes. And I think nothing less would do because you cannot at a time when we need our country to be united by attacking your political opponents in this manner, you cannot at a time when our women are being slaughtered to encourage the disrespect of our female leaders in this country.”
- Amanza Walton-Desir, Bharrat Jagdeo, Former Chief of Staff, Gary Best, Member of Parliament, Vice President
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