By Andrew Laidley
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (DPI) – Minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, Olivia Grange, is encouraging more women to get involved in representational politics addressing the opening ceremony for an Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Missions workshop on women’s political participation, in Kingston on Monday.
Minister Grange said there are various ways that women can get involved in politics, including as candidates or by providing funding for fellow female politicians.
“I want to encourage you, women of Jamaica, to get involved. Get active. If you cannot be that political representative, you can help to make the machinery work,” the minister emphasised. “It’s not an easy road. But if you want to make a difference, you should get involved. We can’t just sit and talk and come to workshops.”
Grange noted that the government is looking at measures to increase the involvement of women in politics. Jamaica is ranked second in the Caribbean, behind Guyana, in terms of female representation at the parliamentary level.
Currently, women comprise 38 percent of Jamaica’s senate and 29 percent of the House of Representatives.
Minister Grange highlighted that the national policy on gender equality recommends the introduction of legislative gender quotas as part of a broader strategy to improve gender equity. These quotas are designed to address the under-representation of women in parliament, women in local authorities and leadership positions, with the goal of increasing their participation in decision-making.
Meanwhile, minister of state in the ministry of foreign affairs and foreign trade Alando Terrelonge, hailed the workshop as a pivotal starting point for discussions on how to increase the number of women in parliament.
“Today’s workshop provides an excellent opportunity for us to consider the matter, in terms of women’s engagement in the political process and to celebrate our achievements while accepting that there is scope for improvement,” Terrelonge said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, Earl Jarrett, who said, “the full power of political mechanisms will be achieved by encouraging women to participate in the world political process, not just in terms of the administrative section where women do participate, but actually achieving roles in the parliament and in the local government of the country.”
The OAS high-level group is conducting the workshop over three days from November 18 to 20, and will be providing recommendations from Electoral Observation Missions on women’s political participation in Jamaica.
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