Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis on Monday issued an interesting challenge to himself (yes, you read that correctly) to ensure that more women serve in Parliament and in Cabinet.
Minnis also challenged his party, other parties, the nation and the women of the country, in particular, to join him in a “collective determination” to ensure this happens.
And he pledged that another Minnis administration would appoint more women to Cabinet.
He made the statement during the swearing in of Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe as minister of state for disaster preparedness, management and reconstruction.
The ceremony took place on International Women’s Day. It came two weeks after Lanisha Rolle resigned as minister of youth, sports and culture.
Minnis, who no doubt appointed Parker-Edgecombe to the post to avoid criticism over having an all-male Cabinet, has still not provided the country with an explanation for why Rolle resigned.
Rolle entered national life when Minnis selected her to be a senator in 2015 after removing Heather Hunt from the Senate.
Rolle received a nomination in 2017 and subsequently a Cabinet position.
With her resignation, we now have no woman in Cabinet holding a substantive post.
Parker-Edgecombe claimed Rolle had done “a tremendous job in representing the women of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas” and said she (Parker-Edgecombe) will work to ensure more women run for political office.
On Monday, Minnis said he is pleased to lead the political party that was the first party in The Bahamas to successfully offer a woman for election to the House of Assembly in the person of Dame Janet Bostwick.
He observed that today, the representation of women in Cabinet is at a historic low given the previous number of women serving at that level.
The FNM was first elected to office in 1992 with Hubert Ingraham as leader.
Prior to 1992, no woman had served in the Cabinet of The Bahamas in more than 20 years and none since independence.
After the 1992 election, Ingraham appointed three women to senior Cabinet posts (Ivy Dumont, Theresa Moxey-Ingraham and Bostwick).
Following the 1997 election, both the speaker of the House (Italia Johnson) and the president of the Senate (Lynn Holowesko) were women.
Following a mid-term shuffle of senators, 50 percent of the Senate seats were held by women.
Dumont was appointed as the first female head of state.
In 2007, Ingraham appointed Claire Hepburn, Elma Campbell and Loretta Butler-Turner to his Cabinet.
During the 2002-2007 term (the first Christie administration), the country got its first female deputy prime minister — Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, who served for a time as acting prime minister after Prime Minister Perry Christie suffered a stroke.
In his first term, Christie also appointed Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Melanie Griffin and Glenys Hanna-Martin to his Cabinet.
In 2012, Christie appointed Hanna-Martin, Griffin, Hope Strachan, and Maynard-Gibson to his Cabinet.
Not good for
democracy
It must not bring Minnis any comfort knowing that the status of women in national political leadership has regressed under his leadership.
Minnis rightly acknowledged that the low representation of women in Cabinet is “not good for our democracy or our society”.
He added, “Because of our recruitment efforts, I am pleased that my party will be running more women in the upcoming general election, including a number of women who have served as leaders in other areas.”
“While there have been historic breakthroughs in the number of women who served in the Cabinet, we must work harder to ensure more women [are] serving in the Cabinet on a sustainable basis.”
In the House of Assembly, women hold just five of the 39 seats: Hanna-Martin (Englerston); Miriam Emmanuel (MICAL); Shonel Ferguson (Fox Hill); Lanisha Rolle (Seabreeze) and Parker-Edgecome (West Grand Bahama and Bimini).
Seven of the 16 senators are women: Dr. Mildred Hall-Watson (president); Lisa Bostwick-Dean; Jaunianne Dorsett, Jasmin Dareus, Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson, Sharon Annafaye Knowles and Jobeth Coleby-Davis.
So far, the two major political parties have collectively ratified 48 candidates for the next general election; only seven of them are women.
The governing Free National Movement has ratified 30 candidates so far — five women: Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson (Exumas and Ragged Island); Felicia Knowles (Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador); Miriam Emmanuel (MICAL); Vandea Stuart (South Abaco); and Parker-Edgecombe.
The opposition Progressive Liberal Party has ratified 18 candidates so far — two women: Leslia Miller-Brice (Seabreeze) and Jobeth Coleby-Davis (Elizabeth).
In 2019, PLP Leader Philip Brave Davis pledged that the party will have 30 to 40 percent women candidates on its ticket.
“We are not going to run them because they are female and do that gender a disfavor just to run someone because they are female. We want to have candidates who are good and those who are willing to serve and willing to do what is necessary to uplift the Bahamian people in a manner and in accordance to our philosophies,” Davis said.
With only five female MPs, The Bahamas ranks 151 of 190 plus countries and territories on the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) rankings of the percentage of women in national parliaments.
The IPU notes: “Many women around the world still lack basic human rights and face discrimination and gender-based violence. The world’s parliaments are no exception. With a global average of 25 percent women, most parliaments remain male-dominated, and women MPs are often under-represented on decision-making bodies.
“The IPU is one of the leading organizations for the empowerment of women, recognizing the link between strong democracies and gender equality in parliaments.
“Our work focuses on three main objectives: increasing the number of women in parliament through well-designed quotas and parliamentary caucuses; supporting women in parliament; and transforming parliaments into gender-sensitive institutions that deliver on women’s rights.”
In our editorial on International Women’s Day on Monday, we noted that having female representation in national political leadership requires women, whose talents and experience could benefit the country at that level, being prepared to come forward; it requires political parties and their leadership having the political will to select them for their tickets; it requires voters deciding they are quality candidates who would provide stellar representation, and finally, it requires the prime minister choosing these women to take on substantive portfolios.
Speaking on Monday, the prime minister said we must honestly acknowledge the reluctance of women offering themselves for elected office, including the reasons for such reluctance.
“If you will permit, as a party leader at the last election, I must admit my frustration that a number of women who my party asked to run, declined to do so for various reasons, which I respect,” he said.
“In the upcoming general election, I am pleased that more women are being successfully recruited to run. If my party is granted the privilege of another term in office, the nation may be assured that there will be more women in the Cabinet of The Bahamas.”
Ingrained attitudes toward gender equality — which played out in the gender equality referendum debates in 2016 — also point to why many women choose not to run for political office and why those who do are often rejected.
Many do not believe that men and women should be equal in every area, including in national leadership.
After the FNM announced on February 2 that Senator Isaacs-Dotson has been ratified for Exumas and Ragged Island, a caller into a radio show on Love 97 told the host that Exumians were disappointed because they do not want a woman to represent them.
This provided insight into how some voters think.
That caller happened to be a man, but it’s also an attitude some women voters have adopted.
Women’s representation matters
Maynard-Gibson, who served as attorney general in the last Christie administration, noted the importance of female representation in front line political leadership.
“It is very important, especially as the world emerges from the pandemic, to have women in the legislative and the executive branches of government – where laws are passed, national policy made, and international collaboration determined,” she told National Review.
“The pandemic has impacted women disproportionately. As an illustration of the importance of women in leadership, countries where there are women leaders, like New Zealand, Iceland and the Nordic countries, have been commended for their response to the pandemic, including the ability to engender trust and decrease adverse impact on marginalized communities.”
A New York Times article published last May and updated in August, titled, “Why are women-led nations doing better with COVID-19?” concluded that a new leadership style offers promise for a new era of global threats. But the successes of New Zealand, Germany and Taiwan during the pandemic response is likely not just because they are led by women, the article notes.
“Having a female leader is one signal that people of diverse backgrounds — and thus, hopefully, diverse perspectives on how to combat crises — are able to win seats at that table,” The Times observes.
Maynard-Gibson pointed out that women represent about 50 percent of our population.
“With more women at the national decision-making table, better decisions will be made, we will have a more vibrant democracy and stronger economy,” she added.
As said by the Clinton Global Initiative, “when women work, they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families, compared with 35 percent for men. By focusing on girls and women, innovative businesses and organizations can spur economic progress, expand markets, and improve health and education outcomes for everyone.”
Asked what can be done to encourage more Bahamian women to get involved in leadership at this level, the former attorney general said, “I believe that many women are reluctant to enter into politics because it, too frequently, involves unwarranted personal attacks and, unfortunately, also on one’s family. Rather than evaluating the message, too many attack the messenger.
“Having said this, I believe that we have a pool of extraordinarily talented and qualified women, equipped for frontline politics. I encourage them to get involved in community service, join a political party and offer themselves as candidates. Politics is a noble calling and a very fulfilling way to serve your country.
“Finally, I encourage women considering frontline politics to recognize that all of the women who previously served on the front line, and upon whose shoulders you stand, are cheering you on and are prepared to advise and mentor you.”
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/a-democracy-under-threat/
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