President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday appointed the members of the constitutional Women and Gender Equality Commission.
All 15 nominees for appointment took the oath of office at a simple ceremony at the Office of the President, where President Jagdeo emphasised the need for the commission to fulfil its constitutional mandate, especially since women remain a “vulnerable” group in the society. He further said that the establishment of the rights commissions is a move towards the improvement of relations. “It is important for our people to feel that they all matter,” he noted, adding “that they are part of this country.”
Under Article 212Q of the Constitution, the Women and Gender Equality Commission is tasked with the promotion of the national recognition and acceptance that women’s rights are human rights, respect for gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality.
The appointees to the commission are: Vanda Radzik, Shalimar Ali-Hack, who represent women’s organisations; Debra Ann Henry, representing professional bodies; Nandranie Coonjah, Ernestine Barker Logan and Bibi Haliema Khan, representing Regional Women’s Affairs Committees; Karen Van Sluytman-Corbin, representing the TUC-Advisory Council; Renata Chuck-A-Sang, representing the Private Sector; Gaietra Baron and Gillian Burton representing the Labour Movement; Nicole Cole and Peter Persaud representing Cultural/Ethnic organisations; Indranie Chandarpal, representing the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO); and Cheryl Sampson, representing the National Congress of Women (NCW).
The nomination of Chandarpal and Sampson, who are both serving MPs for the governing PPP/C and the PNCR-1G, had raised concerns during the parliamentary debate on the motion to approve the nominees.
Jagdeo, however, while pledging the full support of the government to the commission, expressed his pleasure with the fact that the fight to enhance women’s rights has never been a political issue. He told the appointees that their work should focus on enhancing women’s rights and he hopes that it moves beyond simple legislation. He explained that while the country has some of the best protections in the world, the question remains whether there is the political commitment to implement.
He also noted that most the appointees would have been involved in fighting for the rights of women. Jagdeo said although the commission is not strictly limited to woman’s issues, it is dedicated to ensuring their well-being. “Today our women undergo significant difficulties in society,” he added, noting that it could be seen almost every single day in the newspapers. “I’m sure that this commission will help to lead the way in ensuring that these social ills are eliminated from among our midst,” he said, citing domestic violence, suicide and inequality in the workplace as being among the issues.
While telling commissioners that they have a leadership role to play, Jagdeo cautioned them that there would be times when they would want the means to implement their recommendations. In this regard, he urged an understanding of the need to balance resources with the desire to solve problems. “That must not weaken our commitment to the cause of women or their rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, two outstanding nominees to the Rights of the Child Commission, Hyacinth Massay and Marissa Massiah also took the oath of office yesterday.
