Letter of the Day | Honoured by number of women in Parliament

THE EDITOR, Madam:

St Andrew Business and Professional Women’s Club (BPW St Andrew), an affiliate of BPW International, wishes to extend heartiest congratulations to all the female candidates who were successful in being elected in the recent general election, and who have been commissioned to serve in the Lower House in the Parliament of Jamaica. We also commend all the women who contested seats, whether they were chosen by the electorate or not.

BPW International, as a non-governmental organisation, has as its theme for 2017-2020, ‘Empowerment of Women to Realise Sustainable Goals’. Within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, (SDG 5 – Gender Equality), BPW International has advocated for greater representation by women in Parliament and on government boards.

BPW St Andrew, in fulfilling this advocacy mandate, launched the Jamaica Women’s Political Caucus (JWPC) in 1992, now a fully independent organisation preparing female candidates on both sides of the Jamaican political divide for representational politics.

BPW St Andrew members – Evelyn Smart, Beryl Ennis, Marie Thompson and Merline Daley – served as founding members of the JWPC and contributed, in conjunction with stalwarts such as the late Jeanette Grant-Woodham and Rose Leon, Portia Simpson Miller, Senator Donna Scott Mottley, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange and many other female politicians, to the mandate of the JWPC being greatly enhanced with the attainment of aims and objectives which have been realised over the past 28 years.

SALUTE TO ALL

BPW St Andrew salutes all the female parliamentarians, including the newly appointed senators, who now number 38 per cent the complement of senators. We note with particular pleasure the leader of the Opposition‘s fulfilment of his campaign promise to have women as 50 per cent of the opposition senators appointed.

Once again, congratulations to all the women who ran for election in various constituencies and to those elected to serve as parliamentarians.

MEARLE D.P. BARRETT

President, BPW St Andrew