The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

In the event FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner comes out of the November 21 convention as the newly minted FNM leader, she would then be on the cusp of making history as The Bahamas’ first female prime minister in 2017. Her becoming this nation’s chief executive officer would not be a precedent in this 21st century global society, as there have been many female leaders. Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Chile, Malta, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Liberia, St Maarten, Kosovo, Denmark and Bangladesh all have female leaders.

In their anxiousness to see Butler-Turner best Dr Hubert Minnis in the leadership competition, some of Butler-Turner’s staunchest backers have launched a campaign of inaccurately portraying Bahamian men in general as being male chauvinist pigs and radical misogynists who have an aversion to the idea of a woman being prime minister.

This misandrinistic rhetoric simply does not square with reality in today’s Bahamas, considering the many great strides many Bahamian women have made. Had it not been for Bahamian men, who are by and large philogynistic, the achievements that their female counterparts have made would not have materialised.

Ironically, the Butler-Turner faction responsible for smearing men with the broad brush of misogyny, seems to have conveniently forgotten that Butler-Turner is the deputy leader of Her Majesty’s official Opposition, the FNM, and a sitting member of Parliament for Long Island. How did she ascend to these lofty positions without the support of men? It is extremely difficult debating persons whose presuppositions are firmly cemented.

Be that as it may, I hope to challenge this preconceived notion of The Bahamas being a male chauvinist society with the following. The governor general is a female, Dame Marguerite Pindling. Dame Ivy Dumont was the first female governor general. The first female speaker of the House of Assembly was Italia Johnson. The current attorney general is a female, Allyson Maynard-Gibson. Melanie Griffin, Glenys Hanna-Martin and Hope Strachan are PLP members of the House of Assembly and are also members of the Christie Cabinet. South Beach MP Cleola Hamilton is parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation. There have been many other women who have graced the halls of Parliament. Pleasant Bridgewater, Verna Grant, Ann Percentie, Junianne Dorsette, Veronica Owens, Italia Johnson, Theresa Moxey-Ingraham, Allyson, Maynard-Gibson, Janet Bostwick and Agatha Marchelle are former female parliamentarians.

There are five females in the Senate: Sharon Wilson, Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Cheryl Bazard, Tanisha Tynes and Heather Hunt. Wendy Craigg is governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. Anita Allen and Deborah Fraser are both Supreme Court justices. The former director of public prosecutions was a female, Vinette Graham-Allen. Mother Cynthia Pratt served as MP, PLP deputy leader, deputy prime minister and acting prime minister during her prestigious political career. The general manager of ZNS is Diana Swann.

Based on the above, any objective observer can see that the argument that the Bahamian society is misogynistic does not hold water. It is a lie straight from the pits of hell. The individuals seeking to assist Butler-Turner to become the next FNM leader by railing at men must rethink their strategy, as this will only be a turn-off to the many male and female FNM delegates who will be voting on November 21.

It will be also a turn-off to many non-delegates who will be voting in 2017. If these people refuse to desist from excoriating men, then Butler-Turner would be wise to distance herself from this feminist group of men bashers. While bashing men has become fashionable in recent times, it will not cut the muster; therefore, Butler-Turner must resist the temptation of basing her campaign on gender.

She must run a gender-neutral campaign, that treats all genders with dignity and respect. If Bahamian men perceives that Butler-Turner is pandering to the misandrinist faction of her party, she will never become FNM leader; and more importantly, she will never become prime minister. Hence, the utmost importance of her distancing herself from this group.


KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

October 15, 2014.