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THE Parliament of Guyana yesterday hosted a programme at the Tower Hotel on Main Street, Georgetown, to honour women in commemorating International Women’s Day, which is being celebrated worldwide today. Four women were honoured for their outstanding achievements. They are Member of Parliament and Government Chief Whip, Ms. Gail Teixeira; Chairperson of the Women and Gender Equality Commission, MP and former minister, Ms. Indranie Chandarpal; former MP and Deputy Speaker, Mrs. Clarissa Riehl; and Parliament employee, Ms. Olga Aaron.
Speaker of the National Assembly,Rafael Trotman, in remarks, said that it cannot be denied that the call for the advancement of women and children’s rights the world over is gaining tremendous momentum. In Guyana, there is no exception, he added.
“We, over the past decades, have led by example and have been at the vanguard…not only in words, but in actions, and Guyana has much to celebrate in terms of its advancement for women,” he remarked.
He pointed out that in the field of politics in particular, there have been outstanding women, such as former President and First Lady, Janet Jagan, and former Vice President and First Lady, Viola Burnham.
Trotman also spoke of outstanding women of this millennium, including APNU MP, Amna Ally, who was honoured last year, and Teixeira and Chandarpal, who have been honoured this year.
He emphasised that the occurrences of extreme intolerance and prejudice against persons based on their gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion and political affiliation have been too many.
These occurrences and actions, he said, are like “poison to our body politic”. Nevertheless, he stated that occasions such as yesterday’s go a far way in keeping people welded together as a civilized race Functioning in a modern society.
Meanwhile, government MP Gail Teixeira, who was honoured, said that Guyana is far ahead with the progress it has made thus far, noting that Guyana currently ranks 24th out of 180 countries in the world with the percentage of women in parliament.
She added that Guyana has met the Beijing declaration which stipulates 30 percent, pointing out that almost 32 percent of the MP’s in parliament are women.
Nevertheless, she stressed that there is always room for more, since women account for 50 percent of the population.
Teixeira emphasised that the younger generation now has to be groomed to take over.
“I think the young women today have to start getting more involved in issues relating to matters that confront not only women, but our people…we still have a number of issues to confront…I believe that the younger generation has all that it takes to come onboard and to be groomed and nurtured,” she remarked.
She advised that women of the current generation should have enough confidence and a sense of their own self-esteem.
“Know your weaknesses and your strengths. In the man’s world that we live in, you have to always be prepared and you have to be prepared more than any man around you,” she stressed.
In addition, Teixeira highlighted that she is very proud, as a woman and a Guyanese.
“Guyana has moulded me to become what I am, and has given me the opportunities at the political level. Probably if I was in another country, with a larger population, maybe I would never have reached the heights I’ve reached in Guyana,” she said.
Speaker of the National Assembly,Rafael Trotman, in remarks, said that it cannot be denied that the call for the advancement of women and children’s rights the world over is gaining tremendous momentum. In Guyana, there is no exception, he added.
“We, over the past decades, have led by example and have been at the vanguard…not only in words, but in actions, and Guyana has much to celebrate in terms of its advancement for women,” he remarked.
He pointed out that in the field of politics in particular, there have been outstanding women, such as former President and First Lady, Janet Jagan, and former Vice President and First Lady, Viola Burnham.
Trotman also spoke of outstanding women of this millennium, including APNU MP, Amna Ally, who was honoured last year, and Teixeira and Chandarpal, who have been honoured this year.
He emphasised that the occurrences of extreme intolerance and prejudice against persons based on their gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion and political affiliation have been too many.
These occurrences and actions, he said, are like “poison to our body politic”. Nevertheless, he stated that occasions such as yesterday’s go a far way in keeping people welded together as a civilized race Functioning in a modern society.
Meanwhile, government MP Gail Teixeira, who was honoured, said that Guyana is far ahead with the progress it has made thus far, noting that Guyana currently ranks 24th out of 180 countries in the world with the percentage of women in parliament.
She added that Guyana has met the Beijing declaration which stipulates 30 percent, pointing out that almost 32 percent of the MP’s in parliament are women.
Nevertheless, she stressed that there is always room for more, since women account for 50 percent of the population.
Teixeira emphasised that the younger generation now has to be groomed to take over.
“I think the young women today have to start getting more involved in issues relating to matters that confront not only women, but our people…we still have a number of issues to confront…I believe that the younger generation has all that it takes to come onboard and to be groomed and nurtured,” she remarked.
She advised that women of the current generation should have enough confidence and a sense of their own self-esteem.
“Know your weaknesses and your strengths. In the man’s world that we live in, you have to always be prepared and you have to be prepared more than any man around you,” she stressed.
In addition, Teixeira highlighted that she is very proud, as a woman and a Guyanese.
“Guyana has moulded me to become what I am, and has given me the opportunities at the political level. Probably if I was in another country, with a larger population, maybe I would never have reached the heights I’ve reached in Guyana,” she said.
