The popular hot topic this week is political lapel pins in parliament and the alleged hypocrisy that exist in the adjudication of parliament rules, laws and customs, sparked by two heated altercations between house speaker Claudius Francis and Senator Elisha Norbert and then Francis and Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet.
While this is worthy of discussion, not for the reason that many would expect, this is not the focal point of today’s piece.
In recent weeks, one of the topics on the lips of many on the island, seemingly prompted by a popular talk show host, is whether the agriculture minister was competent to run that ministry. Maybe a fair and interesting question? The issue got some meat when a local female reporter asked that very question as the agriculture minister stood at the podium at a recent pre-cabinet press briefing at the office of the prime minister. In responding, the first female agriculture minister asked a male media practitioner, whether he was competent in his role. Many thought this was a peculiar way to open a response but it may have been the perfect opener which left the door open for a whole new, larger discussion that female politicians are treated vastly different to their male counterparts. The salient point was that we have historically hardly ever asked for the competence scorecard of a male minister of either party and for any ministry. We have had a few agriculture ministers who could have been questioned in much the same way but they weren’t. In the ministry of tourism for example, while some may have had experience, none of our ministers are reported to have had academic qualifications for the job. As it relates to the ministry of health, take a look at the list of previous appointees and do an honest assessment and the facts will speak loudly. The ministry of sports, the ministry of information and broadcasting, the ministry of infrastructure {ministry of communication and works}, national Security, and local government have all been found wanting when it comes to academically qualified individuals sitting in the minister’s chair.
And what of the ministry of finance? The current prime minister may very well be the only minister of finance who holds some finance qualifications.
The confirmed truth is that each ministry will run successfully, equipped with a qualified, competent, hard-working permanent secretary and support staff adequately armed to execute on behalf of the government and the people of St. Lucia. The ministers themselves are said to be charged with directing and assisting with implementing and guiding policy.
If we are to utilize our history as evidence of who should or should not have been a minister based on actual qualifications of their particular ministry, we would quickly realize that a vast majority of our cabinets over the years would have been left with only one or two qualified individuals.
The focus must then actually be on who is capable, from a management perspective, of leading a ministry successfully given the stated mandate, and less on the gender of that individual.
Is it a fact that female politicians and female ministers are judged more stringently than the men in similar positions? Is it that harsh criticisms are unevenly meted out to our females in prominent positions? Does gender equality form part of this discussion?
These are all questions to ask but can we be truthful with our answers or where the conversations will lead?
It has been argued that the females among us appear more focused and driven than their male counterparts. If this is to be evidenced, we can simply have a look at the common entrance and CXC results as a guide and then start the next round of discussions.