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Storming the Old Boys’ Club
Ruling party set to push highest number of female candidates ever
BY JANICE BUDD Associate Editor — Sunday buddj@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 13, 2011
THE dominance of local politics by the so-called Old Boys’ Club seems to be changing, at least in the view of the member of parliament for Central St Catherine, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.
According to the youth, sports and culture minister, her ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is now at the forefront of the campaign to mitigate the traditional gender bias in politics with the large number of women it is seeking to have elected to Parliament.
“You know the women are the backbone of the party. Those are the stakeholders, they are the workers, they run the show, they really run the show. However, at the top, they have challenges because men tend to be clannish and we have to face that fact... but it’s changing, it’s changing,” Grange insisted in an address to the Observer Press Club two Fridays ago.
She boasted that the slate of female candidates selected to run on the JLP ticket in the upcoming election was the largest number ever in the history of the party and, according to her, in Jamaica’s political history — 10, by her count, pending the official presentation of the full slate of candidates this week.
Checks of the party’s website up to press time showed just five women candidates, including incumbent MPs. But a tally of those women who have officially been named as candidates over the past few weeks include Joan Gordon-Webley for South Eastern St Andrew and Joyce Young, who is set to run in the West St Andrew seat.
Toward the end of last week, Dr Saphire Longmore-Dropinsky’s candidacy for the East St Andrew seat was formally announced. The former beauty queen, who is three-and-a-half months pregnant, joins Sharon Hay Webster, who crossed the floor of Parliament the week prior, and Paula Kerr-Jarrett who will tackle the PNP’s DK Duncan for East Hanover. They keep company with the likes of Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte in Central Westmoreland and Dr Patrice Freeman-Charles — daughter of long-serving JLP MP Pearnel Charles — who seeks the Eastern St Thomas seat.
Grange told the Observer Press Club that the JLP was the first political party to have a woman candidate run in general elections.
“The first woman to enter politics (in Jamaica) was Iris Collins, and she ran for the Jamaica Labour Party in the 1944 elections. So the Jamaica Labour Party has really been setting the trend in terms of allowing women to step forward,” Grange said. Collins broke political ground as the first female representative of St James North West.
Three years after Collins became the first elected female parliamentarian, the People’s National Party (PNP) got its turn, putting Iris King on the ballot to represent West Central Kingston in 1947.
Both major political parties have had several high-powered women parliamentarians since, with a woman eventually ascending to the highest political position in the nation: prime minister. That distinction went to the PNP’s Portia Simpson Miller, who cracked the proverbial glass ceiling in 2006, replacing PJ Patterson as leader of the then-ruling PNP and becoming the country’s seventh prime minister.
The Opposition also lays claim to the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives — Violet Nielson — and the first female President of the Senate, Syringa Marshall-Burnett. The JLP, under former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, followed suit when it chose Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert as the current House Speaker.
However, the PNP’s current slate of female candidates for the upcoming polls has shrunk to just five.
They are Simpson Miller, the opposition leader and MP for South West St Andrew; Lisa Hanna in South East St Ann; Natalie Neita-Headley for North Central St Catherine; Denise Daley for East St Catherine; and Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams in West Central St James.
On Friday, Dr Longmore-Dropinsky said her decision to enter representational politics stemmed from “feeling a passion to represent the people”. She also said she was “humbled by destiny and magnificently optimistic”.
Asked to comment on the role of women in politics, Neita-Headley said: “The PNP, as a movement, has always sought to advance the work of women across the country, especially regarding equal pay. Our leader, as prime minister, has done much to support women in politics. I’m very secure and comfortable in the fact that the PNP has the first woman prime minister in Jamaica’s history and has promoted female leadership at all levels of the party.”
Notwithstanding the influx of females willing to take up higher service in the parties, Grange feels more women need to enter the political fray, although she noted that there are greater considerations for women who choose to go into politics.
“There are funding challenges; you are a wife, you’re a mother, you have the kids. You see, society does not recognise the fact that a woman is a great multi-tasker and she has to do more than the average man,” said Grange.
“These are the sorts of things that make a woman hesitate before she goes into representational politics. But what you find, too, is that they make the best representatives. They take a caring approach and have a caring attitude. They listen. In fact, they are the more calming spirit and so you will find less hostilities. Although, sometimes, people may take their sweetness for weakness,” added Grange.
Just last week, the minister called for more women to enter representational politics for their own good and that of their families and the country at large.
Speaking at the opening of the Regional Consultation for Parliamentarians on Thursday in Kingston, Grange said that women's involvement at that level can help in the development of critical policies.
“It is not that male parliamentarians are not doing their part, but I call on more women to enter the political arena. An increase in female parliamentarians will bring issues affecting women and girls to the forefront of policy and legislative discussions,” the minister argued.
Grange added that if women's participation in local and national government is improved, their lives inside and outside of the political arena will also be advanced.
She also noted the importance of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean adopting policies to reduce the gender disparity that exists in representational politics.
“Policy change is important in countering the dominant paradigm regarding gender roles and stereotypes,” she said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1danWcv6s
Ruling party set to push highest number of female candidates ever
BY JANICE BUDD Associate Editor — Sunday buddj@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 13, 2011
THE dominance of local politics by the so-called Old Boys’ Club seems to be changing, at least in the view of the member of parliament for Central St Catherine, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.
According to the youth, sports and culture minister, her ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is now at the forefront of the campaign to mitigate the traditional gender bias in politics with the large number of women it is seeking to have elected to Parliament.
“You know the women are the backbone of the party. Those are the stakeholders, they are the workers, they run the show, they really run the show. However, at the top, they have challenges because men tend to be clannish and we have to face that fact... but it’s changing, it’s changing,” Grange insisted in an address to the Observer Press Club two Fridays ago.
She boasted that the slate of female candidates selected to run on the JLP ticket in the upcoming election was the largest number ever in the history of the party and, according to her, in Jamaica’s political history — 10, by her count, pending the official presentation of the full slate of candidates this week.
Checks of the party’s website up to press time showed just five women candidates, including incumbent MPs. But a tally of those women who have officially been named as candidates over the past few weeks include Joan Gordon-Webley for South Eastern St Andrew and Joyce Young, who is set to run in the West St Andrew seat.
Toward the end of last week, Dr Saphire Longmore-Dropinsky’s candidacy for the East St Andrew seat was formally announced. The former beauty queen, who is three-and-a-half months pregnant, joins Sharon Hay Webster, who crossed the floor of Parliament the week prior, and Paula Kerr-Jarrett who will tackle the PNP’s DK Duncan for East Hanover. They keep company with the likes of Senator Marlene Malahoo Forte in Central Westmoreland and Dr Patrice Freeman-Charles — daughter of long-serving JLP MP Pearnel Charles — who seeks the Eastern St Thomas seat.
Grange told the Observer Press Club that the JLP was the first political party to have a woman candidate run in general elections.
“The first woman to enter politics (in Jamaica) was Iris Collins, and she ran for the Jamaica Labour Party in the 1944 elections. So the Jamaica Labour Party has really been setting the trend in terms of allowing women to step forward,” Grange said. Collins broke political ground as the first female representative of St James North West.
Three years after Collins became the first elected female parliamentarian, the People’s National Party (PNP) got its turn, putting Iris King on the ballot to represent West Central Kingston in 1947.
Both major political parties have had several high-powered women parliamentarians since, with a woman eventually ascending to the highest political position in the nation: prime minister. That distinction went to the PNP’s Portia Simpson Miller, who cracked the proverbial glass ceiling in 2006, replacing PJ Patterson as leader of the then-ruling PNP and becoming the country’s seventh prime minister.
The Opposition also lays claim to the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives — Violet Nielson — and the first female President of the Senate, Syringa Marshall-Burnett. The JLP, under former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, followed suit when it chose Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert as the current House Speaker.
However, the PNP’s current slate of female candidates for the upcoming polls has shrunk to just five.
They are Simpson Miller, the opposition leader and MP for South West St Andrew; Lisa Hanna in South East St Ann; Natalie Neita-Headley for North Central St Catherine; Denise Daley for East St Catherine; and Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams in West Central St James.
On Friday, Dr Longmore-Dropinsky said her decision to enter representational politics stemmed from “feeling a passion to represent the people”. She also said she was “humbled by destiny and magnificently optimistic”.
Asked to comment on the role of women in politics, Neita-Headley said: “The PNP, as a movement, has always sought to advance the work of women across the country, especially regarding equal pay. Our leader, as prime minister, has done much to support women in politics. I’m very secure and comfortable in the fact that the PNP has the first woman prime minister in Jamaica’s history and has promoted female leadership at all levels of the party.”
Notwithstanding the influx of females willing to take up higher service in the parties, Grange feels more women need to enter the political fray, although she noted that there are greater considerations for women who choose to go into politics.
“There are funding challenges; you are a wife, you’re a mother, you have the kids. You see, society does not recognise the fact that a woman is a great multi-tasker and she has to do more than the average man,” said Grange.
“These are the sorts of things that make a woman hesitate before she goes into representational politics. But what you find, too, is that they make the best representatives. They take a caring approach and have a caring attitude. They listen. In fact, they are the more calming spirit and so you will find less hostilities. Although, sometimes, people may take their sweetness for weakness,” added Grange.
Just last week, the minister called for more women to enter representational politics for their own good and that of their families and the country at large.
Speaking at the opening of the Regional Consultation for Parliamentarians on Thursday in Kingston, Grange said that women's involvement at that level can help in the development of critical policies.
“It is not that male parliamentarians are not doing their part, but I call on more women to enter the political arena. An increase in female parliamentarians will bring issues affecting women and girls to the forefront of policy and legislative discussions,” the minister argued.
Grange added that if women's participation in local and national government is improved, their lives inside and outside of the political arena will also be advanced.
She also noted the importance of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean adopting policies to reduce the gender disparity that exists in representational politics.
“Policy change is important in countering the dominant paradigm regarding gender roles and stereotypes,” she said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1danWcv6s
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