THE Ministry of Education (MoE) Public Relations Department has written to the Women’s and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) requesting that it looks into a situation where a politician of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) allegedly spoke disparagingly about women, at one of the party’s public meeting.

A video recording of the event, which is alleged to have taken place, last Friday, in Industry Village, on the East Coast of Demerara, has been circulating on social media, having since garnered over 20,000 views on social media platform, Facebook.

The video clip shows PPP Clement Rohee backing the camera and making references to the female genitalia. He also referenced USA President Donald Trump’s infamous recording, where Trump spoke of grabbing women by their genitalia.

In the video, the politician instructed the gathering to create a portmanteau that spells out a vulgar term used to refer to a woman’s private part, as several of the attendees, including women, laughed and cheered. At least one attendee is heard in the background commenting “you want all ah we get lock up”.

“This is school time… this is back to school time. I don’t want y’all to actually say what it is but I think you know what I talking about. Tell me what you get? Do you get something that you could hold on to? I’m talking to the men. The President of the United States… Mr. Trump said grab something,” Rohee said. The MoE letter, addressed to the WGEC Chief Executive Officer, Diana Swan-Lawrence, calls the video clip “disturbing”.

“Quite disappointingly and very much against any sphere of education in its true sense… the lesson spewed by the Member of Parliament is very disparaging, [and] disrespectful to the women of our country and the world, and [is] reckless to say the least,” the letter reads, further adding that:

“All would agree that this is not the type of insolent campaigning that our nation should accept or be exposed to, especially our nation’s children. In the circumstance, the MoE hereby implores the Gender Commission to sanction appropriately this matter, which is no doubt one of national concern.”

The letter also called on the politician to apologise for his remarks.
“In the meantime the right and educated thing for the Member of Parliament to do is to offer a public apology to the people of Guyana,” the letter ended saying. Efforts, on Wednesday, to contact the WGEC for a comment on the issue proved futile. PPPC Candidates are becoming famous for disparaging remarks against women during elections season. It was during the 2015 elections season that then Minister of Health, and member of the party, Bheri Ramsarran, was recorded threatening to slap and strip women’s right activist, Sherlina Nageer.