Poor use of the Gender card!

Kingston, Jamaica. March 20, 2024: The hard-won gains made by women, women’s organizations and advocates for the rights of women should not be used for expediency (political or otherwise) neither is it a ‘get out of jail’ card akin to the game of monopoly. The imagery of this violation being waved like a flag by the Gender Minister, Honourable Olivia Grange, when it is convenient to do so, is worrisome and borders on being disingenuous, says co-chair of the PNP Gender Commission, Ethnie Miller Simpson.   

Supporters of gender parity and advocates for women’s economic empowerment assert that women should be seen and compensated as equals. When the argument of ‘competence vs. gender’ arises, the emphasis is on competence. In other words, a woman should not be rewarded simply because of her gender but based on her performance and competence in getting the job done. Similarly, women’s achievements should not be viewed as a penalty against them but as part of the journey towards parity.

Good governance is about measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs, manage resources, and uphold human rights, free from abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law. A compromised institutional process where the Speaker does not act independently of the head of government is not conducive to forward-looking development in Jamaica’s political governance, asserts Miller Simpson.

The concern lies not with the gender of the Speaker but with her performance. The Speaker’s actions, such as the non-tabling of Attorney General reports, preventing timely reviews, and not sharing opinions with other Parliamentarians, raise significant governance issues.

Increasing unease among Jamaicans with this striking conflict of practice, protocol, and clear error in good governance is evident. The best practice of ensuring that spouses or partners are not employed in the same financial entity or corporate office is well-established. If this is enforced good governance in companies, why not the same in politics? From all accounts, this is not a gender violation but a governance point of order.