Months after losing the race for the People’s National Congress Reform presidential candidacy, Dr Faith Harding has said she is now playing a limited role in the new coalition that was formed by several opposition parties to contest the general elections. She also called for an end to media bias against women in politics, saying this might have contributed to her losing the election.
Dr Faith Harding
In an interview with Guyana Times International, Dr Harding admitted that she was not asked to “do much” for APNU, and was only brought into the discussions and implementation process two weeks ago. Harding said she was pleased to be asked, or given the task to work with the group to scrutinise and review some of its policies with respect to good governance, public service and several other areas.
“While I have not been asked to do much in my opinion, I will still avail myself to working hard at the task at hand with APNU, because I believe in it and also want a woman’s presence to be felt”, Dr Harding stated.
She said that she does not know much about the inner dealings of APNU, but urged that women be given more say in the partnership and be more “visible”, especially when it comes to making key decisions.
Returning to Sudan
Dr Harding disclosed that she plans to return to South Sudan to complete some work that she has to do with the UN once her APNU work is done here.
She did not say whether she would be campaigning with the new coalition at the upcoming elections, or whether she would be playing an integral role in the new body.
However, Dr Harding said she is still open to working with the coalition, and if any leadership offers are made, she would certainly “give a look” at them.
Asked if she would be willing to be the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate, the former minister of state for economic development under the PNC administration explained that, while several factors, such as the constitutional role ascribed to such post under APNU, will have to be looked at, she would decline the offer simply because the post should go to a smaller party.
APNU presidential candidate David Granger was elected from Harding’s party, hence her reasoning.
She, nevertheless, strongly believes that a competent and well educated woman should hold that portfolio.
Asked about her future in Guyanese politics, and whether she would reenter the leadership race for the presidential candidacy of her party at the next elections, Dr Harding said: “Yes.” She said that she has a love for her country and really wants to see its potential further developed.
Media bias
Dr Harding also said that she was disappointed in sections of the Guyanese media for the way they covered the nominees of the PNCR presidential candidacy process.
“They were biased and reported negatively on me for most of my campaign, because I am a woman.
“I found at various times that they did not understand who I was, and more so what I had to offer this country. They said nothing else but the fact that I was a woman, and tended to lend more to my male counterparts”, Dr Harding noted.
She was the only woman in the PNCR presidential candidacy race.
Dr Harding registered more of her concerns about the process through which the elections took place at the party level by stating that while the new system for electing the presidential candidate was “good” in principle, some of her competitors were given “preferential treatment”, or were clearly favoured.
“They used the party machinery to campaign, using its resources at some time; and I didn’t think it was fair. Some of them received endorsements from persons within high positions in the party ahead of the selection, and that, too, wasn’t fair,” Dr Harding noted.
Taking a dig at her male running mates, including the present head of APNU, Dr Harding said, “It was clear I was more educated, I governed and was more qualified than all of the males. I was more qualified, yet they chose someone because he was male and I was female.” Dr Harding said the notions in the media that she was “bitter” after the defeat at the polls was false, and she re-emphasised that her campaign brought her lots of joy and the opportunity to bond with party supporters and scores of Guyanese who wanted change. She contended that the media’s role was to give “responsible, equal and balanced coverage,” and she hinted that only this publication and an Internet news agency seemed to have done that.
Addressing the issue of women’s role in the decision-making process of Guyana, Dr Harding said “they were not visible enough”, and issued a call for the media to give more coverage to female ministers, legislators and leaders, in order to bridge the gender divide. “Women must be given more say in the decision-making structure of any developing country”.
“We want to be equal and have more dominance in the political landscape. We are not simply the “help meet” or support, or even backup for anybody, we can lead, too,” Harding said confidently.
Comments are closed.