Dear Editor,
Western civilization has its weaknesses but it certainly has its strengths. It is unthinkable for any Western country to ban women from driving as in the case in some Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia, where a judge recently ruled that a woman be flogged for violating a law which banned women from driving. It took the intervention of King Abdullah himself to have the decision to flog the woman revoked. The King has only recently ruled in favour of women being given the right to vote and run as candidates in local and municipal elections. This is indeed forward looking, and is no doubt influenced by radical changes which are now taking place in the Arab world.
In Guyana, our constitution makes it mandatory for women to be put on the list of candidates for national and regional elections, an indication of how far we have advanced in terms of gender equality.
Something is fundamentally wrong with any society or creed that denies women the right to benefit from advances in science and technology, such as driving a motor car for work or leisure or the right to participate in the affairs of state.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
