Gender, African-Guyanese Women and General elections in the contemporary Guyanese society: 1953-2011

Gender, African-Guyanese Women and General elections in the contemporary Guyanese society: 1953-2011

By 

Hazel Woolford

                This paper examines gender equity and African- Guyanese women in the General elections in the contemporary society, from 1953 to 2011. In his work, Centenary History and Handbook of British Guiana   ( Georgetown:  The Argosy Company, 1931, reprinted by the Guyana Heritage Society in 2008), A.R.F. Webber had observed that in the first half of the twentieth century African- Guyanese females  had campaigned vigorously for the election of their male counterparts.  During the second half of the twentieth century Portuguese women had become very visible in the political campaigns.  However, it was the African –Guyanese females who predominated in the General elections since 1953 as political activists, candidates, as members of the audiences at the political meetings and, finally as voters.  The rough and tumble of politics eliminated many potential female candidates.   Researchers of women in politics have found that certain conditions had to be met, irrespective of her ethnicity, in order for any female candidate to successfully compete and survive the rigours of politics.  These conditions, will now be examined:

1.       Age range-  Women who were within the age range of 40 to 60 were selected as candidates for parliament, because they were more appealing to the electorate.  While their skin begins to lose the luster of youth, they have entered the most creative phase of their lives.

2.       Clothes – The female candidate’s choice of clothing, determined her selection as a parliamentarian by the leader of the political party.  The clothing said a lot about one’s socio-economic status and was an expression of her as a person.

   

Their status and role is examined in the elections of the

24 April, 1953,

12 August, 1957,

21 August, 1961,

7 December, 1964,

16 December, 1968,

16 July, 1973,

15 December, 1980,

9 December, 1985,

5 October, 1992,

15 December, 1997,

19 March, 2001,

28 August, 2006  and in the selection process for the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates for the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates for the 2011 General elections.

                Secondly, the paper has been divided into the following periods

1.       The PPP led by Dr. Cheddi  Jagan  first term in office from April to October,1953 and from 1957 to 1964.

2.       The PNC administration led by Forbes Burnham, governed Guyana from 1964 to 1985.

3.       The  PNC administration under Desmond Hoyte era, which lasted from 1985 to 1992.

4.       Dr.  Cheddi  Jagan’s  term as PPP/C President  from 1992 to 1997.

5.       Dr. Samuel Hinds served as PPP/ C  President  from March 1997 to 19 December, 1997.

6.       PPP/C President Mrs.  Janet  Jagan’s term lasted from 1997 to 1999.

7.       The PPP/ C Presidency of Dr. Bharrat  Jagdeo since 1999

8.       Mr. Robert Corbin’s leadership of the PNC and the Parliamentary Opposition since 2 May, 2003.   

9.       The Alliance For Change Party since 2005.

10.   The Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP),

·         of the Leader of the  People’s National Congress Reform – 1 Guyana (PNCR – 1G),   Mr. Robert Corbin

·         the  Co- Leaders of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Professor Clive Thomas and, Dr. Rupert  Roopnaraine

·         the Guyana Action Party (GAP)MP, Mr. Everall Franklin and, 

·         the  Leader of the National Front Alliance (NFA), Mr. Keith Scott  formed a  coalition, which had the nomenclature, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) which was established on Friday 24 June, 2011. This association of political parties, Guyanese organizations and citizens came together to contest the 2011 General and Regional Elections.

Outstanding African- Guyanese personalities who fought for the reelection of their political parties include, Jessica Huntley( PPP), Philomena  Sahoye- Shury (PPP/C) Shirley Edwards ( PPP/C), Jennifer Westford (PPP/C) , Jennifer Webster (PPP/C); Jessica Burnham (PNC), Jane Phillips- Gay (PNC), Winifred Gaskin (PNC), Raj Latchmansingh (PNC), Neta Fredericks (PNC), Lucille Cox- David (PNC), Gertie Allsopp (PNC), Mary Bissember (PNC), Huldah Walcott (PNC), Shirley Field- Ridley (PNC), Joyce Gill (PNC),  Lurlena Peters (PNC/R), Deborah Barker (PNC/R), Clarissa Riehl( PNC/R), Genevieve Allen (  PNC/R),   Faith Harding (PNC/R), Esther Perreira  (PNC/R),  Cheryl Sampson (PNC/R), Jenny Wade (PNC/R),  Africo Selman ( PNC/R), Vanessa Kissoon (PNC/R), Volda Lawrence (PNC/R) , Joan Baveghens (PNC/R); Caroline John (UF);  Andaiye (WPA), Karen DeSouza (WPA), Bonita Harris (WPA)  and, Sheila Holder (AFC).  

Thirdly, in the context of gender, sex and politics, the paper will identify the important role of the African- Guyanese wives of political leaders.  Researchers have found that that, the main visible feature of a leader of a country, is his ability to include his wife, in the administration of his political party, or the governance of the country.  This inclusion in the political administration and campaigns is evidenced by the role she assumes. This can take different roles, namely,

1.        Travelling companion or,

2.       Advisor on women and gender issues or as

3.       A   member of the team.

                In fact, in a comparative study of women in politics in Africa, the Caribbean and, Guyana, it will be observed that the role of the wife of a political leader in Africa is taken more seriously than in Guyana and the Caribbean.  In many countries in Anglophone Africa, the wife is sent to England to special institutions where she is trained to perform the functions of the wife of a politician.   Within Guyana, there have been a few stellar examples such as Sheila Burnham, Patricia Benn, Viola Burnham, Yvonne Hinds and, Carol Corbin.

Dr. Sheila Burnham, the first wife of the P.N.C. Founder / Leader, Forbes Burnham, had very active in his political life, when he had run for  the office of Mayor of Georgetown.  She had accompanied the trade unionists / politicians, Evilina Davis and Jane Phillips- Gay, on the campaign trips.

  Mrs. Patricia Benn, the wife of the Deputy Premier of the Dr. Cheddi Jagan P.P.P. administration, was very active in the organization of women.  She had been a President of the Women’s People Organization (WPO), the women’s auxiliary of the P.P.P.   She had accompanied her husband on several of his State visits.

Mrs. Viola Burnham, the second wife of Prime Minister Forbes Burnham, had very active in politics as a young university student in Britain.  Her marriage to Burnham helped her to appreciate her early exposure to active politics.  She had also accompanied her husband on several State visits.  She was a founder-member and, first Vice- President of the Caribbean Women’s Association (CARIWA), an organization of wives of Caribbean Heads of Governments and female politicians.  The 1970s was a period of global advocacy for women’s liberation and Viola Burnham was at the hub of the women’s movement in Guyana.  She led Guyana’s delegations to congresses in St. Kitts-Nevis (1972); Grenada (1974) and, Trinidad and Tobago (1976), presenting papers on ‘The role of women in politics’ and, ‘Women on the move’.  She had also led Guyana’s  delegations to the World conferences of the United Nations decade for women in Mexico (1975), Copenhagen (1980) and, Nairobi (1985).

                In 1997, Mrs. Janet Jagan had complimented Mrs. Viola Burnham for fashioning the women’s arm of the P.N.C. into the most formidable political women’s organization and, electoral machine in the Caribbean.  Burnham had been elected the first Vice-Chairperson of the Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement, in 1967, the year of her marriage.  She was elected to the Chairmanship of the organization, nine years later.  In July 1991, Burnham boasted that she had never participated in an election campaign that her party had not won.  She stated that she had been on the campaign trail in 1968, 1973 and 1985 and the P.N.C. had won every time.

                The strength of Mrs. Yvonne Hinds, the wife of former P.P.P./ C President Samuel Hinds and Prime Minister since 1999 lay in community activism.  Her husband had been the Presidential candidate of the GUARD movement.  Her genesis in political activism was in the women’s social organizations in Linden.  She had been actively involved in the early childhood programmes and in custodial care of children.  When her husband was appointed Prime Minister  in the P.P.P./ C administration, Yvonne Hinds chose to continue her political activism by assuming the chair of the Guyana Relief Council (GRC).  This organization received a national award in May 2011- the Medal Service award.

                Mrs. Carol Corbin, the wife of Mr. Robert Corbin, the Leader of the P.N.C.R.-1G and the Parliamentary Opposition was effective at mobilization.  She promoted the image of the political party as one with a social conscience.  It was from this perspective that she insisted that the P.N.C.R. -1G  had a social responsibility to prepare and educate the electorate from childhood.  She organized successful literacy programmes.