By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 22, 2021 — Thank you Mechelle McDonald for featuring these four outstanding ladies. I hope you don’t mind me plagiarizing your “literary property,” but I simply had to share it with readers of my online publication BAHAMAS CHRONICLE rather than just extending “congratulations” on Facebook because I wanted to further comment on an issue that has been a concern of mine for many years.
Given the many gifted and talented women in all walks of life in The Bahamas, why is it that politics in The Bahamas is still very much a male-dominated “profession?” There is clear evidence of this in the list of candidates who have already been ratified for the next general election.
I don’t know two of the ladies featured by Ms. McDonald, but there is no question in my mind that my “Lil Sister” Arlene Nash-Ferguson and Pamela Burnside are capable of making meaningful contributions in the “political arena.” There is no disputing the fact, however, that they – like many other capable Bahamian women — are dissuaded from active participation as candidates in politics because male chauvinism is too steeped in the fabric of Bahamian politics.
One of the reasons why I strongly support the candidacy of Pia Glover-Rolle, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate for the Golden Gates constituency in New Providence, is that she has “displayed a level of political maturity that is not often exhibited in the toxic political arena” in The Bahamas, as I noted in an article I recently published in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE.
Although she is a PLP candidate, Mrs. Glover-Rolle extended congratulations “to my non-PLP friends, who are also strong women in leadership, for stepping up to the plate and offering for public service.”
Her accompanying remarks are worth repeating: “This is a step for us as women that comes with much thought, much contemplation, much prayer and much consultation,” Mrs. Glover-Rolle said in a post on her Facebook page. “Because, quite simply, it’s a daunting task and we are held to a higher standard — as inequitable as it is, that’s the way it is! We are more heavily scrutinized, judged beyond our professional capabilities and our personal lives (be it real or contrived) are put under seemingly more scrutiny than our male counterparts. However, our passion for nation building and service is stronger than our fears. The silver lining is, this process makes us even better and more resilient.”
The friends she congratulated included Nicole Martin, former president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, who is the Free National Movement’s candidate for the Nassau Village constituency; Hillary Deveaux, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate for the Elizabeth constituency; and Rishae Sands, Coalition of Independents candidate for Killarney.”
