THOUGH it is accepted that Guyana is a society divided along ethnic lines, and that such a factor colours its citizens’ political opinions and loyalty, this should not be a reason for anyone — especially politicians/leaders — to be making misleading statements.
Of course, this has been a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) opposition strategy of appealing to its constituent base, by resurrecting the fears of ethnicity, keeping hopes alive, and undoubtedly playing the race card. This kind of political tactic does not and cannot lend to enlightened political discourse; or raise the bar for solutions in a country that has its peculiar challenges of race.

As primary examples of this, reference is made to a letter via the Stabroek News of March 08, 2018, captioned, “Under the APNU+AFC government many women have lost their jobs, being discriminated against.”

Its entirety can only be described as a grave travesty of truth, in its orchestrated attempts to accuse the current A Partnership for National Unity+AFC (APNU) coalition government, of reducing the presence and role of women in the public and political spheres, one of its main themes.

There have been so many positive things done since the historic 2015 elections that point to the advancement of women, and their roles in public life, that we ask where is the discrimination, as these well-known signatories have alleged?

At the Executive level, the seat of government, never before have women occupied positions of power and influence, as they do at this time: there are 11 female ministers of government; eight female permanent secretaries; five female legal advisers, inclusive of a general counsel who are in critical areas of state authority; female head of the Department of the Environment; female Head of Governance, Office of the Prime Minister; female consultant to the latter office; female editor-in-chief, Department of Public Information, and so is its head for the Department of Coordinator, Communications Strategy, and its editor for assignments and special projects.
The appointments to the nation’s judiciary, since 2015, illustrate a government that is genuine in its understanding of gender parity, and its acceptance of the role of women in the very important decision-making spheres of society.

Guyana now boasts of women at the helm of the nation’s two highest judicial offices, those of chief justice and chancellor; a female director of public prosecutions, whose tenure has continued into the current administration; a female solicitor-general and 12 female judges; this constitutes the highest number of women judges appointed to the local judiciary at any time of its history; a female registrar of the Supreme Court; a female chief magistrate, and several female magistrates of varying seniority.
Of significance, is the conferral of the dignity of senior counsel on the first female attorneys in the history of the nation’s legal system. There are now three distinguished ladies in this exalted category, inclusive of the chief justice.

Reference is also made to another missive, of March 08, 2018 published in the Stabroek News, captioned, “It is time for the administration to pay attention to poor working women in Guyana.”

What is interesting about this letter from a well-known spokesperson of the political opposition, is that it would have the nation believe that the problems outlined have all commenced from the time of May 2015. It is a bird that cannot fly. In fact, the issues raised about low salaries with its particular challenges for single parents, inclusive of shop assistants earning below the minimum wage, are among a plethora of problems that existed for all of the time of the PPP/C government; which as an existing administration it was fully cognizant of as a serious socio-economic issue, and which it had the means to remedy, but did not. And this includes the abysmal wages level and general working conditions of the Ministry of Education’s janitresses, which received lip services and promises.

There have since been several increases to the national minimum wages. When this government assumed office in 2015, the minimum wage was G$35, 000; it has since been increased to G$60, 000, to the benefit of female workers and the dignity of labour, with all the legal rights being finally given to this well deserving category in 2017 by the current administration.

Additionally, the surprise visits by former Labour Minister Simona Broomes made to many downtown businesses, which resulted in those exploited women mentioned in the Stabroek News letter, being promptly paid improved wages and other attended benefits, which they were not receiving. The latter, of course, being an inheritance from the former PPP/C administration. These are just some of the facts about the advancements that are being made since 2015 for upliftment of the nation’s women. The list is endless; no amount of lies can obfuscate these facts.