In a self-professed bid to narrow the gender gap and contribute to the growth of the nation’s women in politics, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has assured four female ABLP candidates, running for seats in the next general election, of Cabinet positions should they be successful at the polls.
Speaking on a local media platform Monday evening, Browne noted that two of said candidates – his wife Maria Browne and Samantha Marshall – are already serving as government ministers, saying they had already proven their worth to the nation.
He added that the other two – Senators Gail Christian and Knacyntar Nedd-Charles – are showing signs that they are ready to serve the country in a similar capacity.
“It’s not very often I go as far as guaranteeing Cabinet positions, but I’ll say here that in the case of Samantha Marshall – who is the Labour Party female pioneer in the Lower House – I mean, her position in the Cabinet is assured. Minister [Maria] Browne has a great seat in the Cabinet, so evidently, her position is also assured.
“Now, we have two candidates … we know for sure that Comrade Gail, based on empirical evidence, is winning, and we haven’t polled Barbuda, but we have information to confirm that Comrade Knacyntar Nedd is definitely on her way into the Lower House,” Browne claimed.“So, I want to assure both Comrades Christian and Nedd that [they] have a place in the Cabinet. This is driven by the need for greater gender equity, not only in the Lower House, but also gender equity in the Cabinet,” he added.“I know that I speak for all of the ladies when I say that we’re equal to the task. We’ll make the party proud and we’ll make the nation proud as we move ahead,” Senator Christian replied.Calls for the inclusion of more women in local politics and political leadership have been repeated quite loudly over the past several years, as many consider the domination of men to be both archaic and unfair, considering the global socio-political climate.
