Local Government Elections- Women urged: Get on board

THE Women and Gender Equality Commission has called on women to take a bold step in contesting and ensuring equal representation on Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), when Guyana stages the much anticipated Local Government Elections (LGE) on March 16 next year.Chairperson of the Commission Indra Chanderpal made the call during a press conference last Thursday at the Human Rights Building in Queenstown.
Chanderpaul said though she has not heard of any special consideration for women this time around, there was in the past, in 2001 and in 2003-2004, a major initiative by the then PPP Government in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute and USAID, in which more than 300 women were prepared for the elections. “We thought at that time that Local Government Election would have been around the corner but because of the political impasse in parliament,” the staging of that election was unsuccessful, she said.
Since then, she said, more women who are endowed with the expertise to be able to manage and get involved in community activities, have not been engaged in LGE preparations. “If you look at statistics not only here but around the world women have excelled in community initiatives and the way they get things to happen in the community. Our women (in Guyana) are still not seen in the way we would have wanted them to be seen – that they are capable and they can manage.”
Speaking on behalf of her commission, the former Minister of Human Services and Social Security said, “We would like more women coming on board this time. Let them be candidates in the elections so that they will be able to offer themselves, as a viable candidate, as a Councilor (on NDCS).”
She said her Commission is using its mandate and available forums to plug for this cause, especially in knowing that this time around there would be 50% percent political participation, and 50% participation from the core voluntary groups and also individuals who would like to participate as independents, at the local polls.

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