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Minister of Planning and the Economy Dr Bhoe Tewarie told the panel, which held a meeting at his office yesterday once this task is over, “I hope we can hold your interest and commitment to do something further in the cultural and development life of the country.”
He said they were laying the foundation for making culture a centrepiece in the development of the economy.
“Culture must be a development tool rather than simply as culture for the sake of culture,” he said.
The main purpose of the panel is to advance arts and cultural projects in a comprehensive manner within the framework of “investing in cultural heritage and sustainable development.”
Its main objectives include to develop products and services for the local and export markets, generate high quality jobs, and deepen the relationship between local communities and society on the management of cultural issues.
The Panel includes Media & Culture Specialist Dr Kris Rampersad, Masman Peter Minshall, Musician Pat Bishop among others.
Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.
“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.
“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”
She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.
“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”
Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.
“The medal for women would be awarded for contribution to the development of women’s rights and issues,” said the notice. The medal will be awarded in the classes of gold, silver or bronze, and up to ten such medals will be awarded in any one year, it added. Nominations must be sent to the OPM or any TTPost office by July 29.
However, Sunday Newsday found a difference in views over whether or not a specific award for women is a good idea or not.
Public relations consultant, Denise Demming, disliked the idea. “To me, the existing national awards are not sexist in their appeal. To me, that is a more worthy approach to recognising people,” Demming said.
“Focus less on the things that separate us and more on the things that bring us together. If you have a national award for women, do you now introduce a separate national award for men? What are the current national awards now going to represent?” She did not think there was bias in the existing national awards.
“Lots of women got it in the past and were worthy. A national award is not gender specific. Why do we want to polarise the society even more and have a separate award for women?” Saying this society now has a gender bias in favour of men _ such as the Government placing very few women on State Boards _, she asked if the woman’s award was now simply for public relations purposes. “They prefer to focus on form and not function,” she said of this administration.
Demming called for a more worthy initiative on gender-imbalance. “One solution to gender issues is if they would fund a women’s think tank, that would consist of women in academia and women in business, who would come up with specific issues that affect women, as opposed to a recognition (that is, the medal) that is just another cocktail party.”
She said she had not heard of any consultation being held before the medal was initiated, saying, “There is a tendency to consult after the fact.”
Women’s rights activist, Hazel Brown, told Sunday Newsday she had no opinion on whether an award only for women is a good or bad idea.
Author, media consultant and former newspaper editor, Dr Kris Rampersad, however, supported the new award. Rampersad, an officer of the Network of Women’s NGOs, said her group collaborates with the Commonwealth Foundation to recognise women in its Young Women of the Year Awards.
“A separate category of awards by the Government within the national awards scheme is equally welcome, as it identifies various spheres in which women have contributed,” Rampersad said.
“This is important in an environment in which the playing field is not yet equal and there are several structures and systems and practices that need to be reformed for this to take place, some of which were recently identified at the two-day colloquium on Caribbean women leaders as agents of change.”
She said these changes and reforms must occur simultaneously with attempts to award or reward women for their contributions to national life, and she hopes Government moves swiftly to address these as well.
“But we do hope that the announcement of these new awards involves more than just a separate category of awards for women and does not preclude women being selected for the other national awards in those existing categories as well _ including the highest honour _ the Order of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She added, “Indeed, our vision is that there should be no barriers to women’s achievements in any sphere of national life. In fact, why not a woman President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago _ is there some unwritten rule that defines that a potential President of Trinidad and Tobago must be over 60 and male; why not under 50 and female as well?”
Rampersad said her ultimate goal is to mainstream recognition of the efforts of women, and that will include mainstreaming into the entire national awards processes and other activities so that there is parity and equity.
Caribbean women want gender-sensitive decision-makers
by
Thu Jul 07 2011
Kris Rampersad
Adequate maternity and paternity leave for parliamentarians and increases in women's representation in cabinets, parliaments and local governments to a minimum of 30 per cent, and where this has already been achieved to 50 per cent. These are among some 17 recommendations to regional and global governments in a communiqué from regional women leaders which also asks that political parties include a minimum of 40 per cent of either sex on their lists of candidates for parliamentary and local government elections and senatorial appointments. The communique titled the Port-of-Spain Consensus on Transformational Leadership for Gender Equality, was drafted at the Caribbean Regional Colloquium on Women Leaders as Agents of Change held in Port of Spain on June 29 and 30, 2011.
The women leaders are also recommending that governments and political parties:
• Develop and implement initiatives that facilitate women's full participation in all internal party policy-making structures, appointments and electoral nominating processes;
• Review of the criteria and processes for appointments to decision-making bodies in the public and private sectors to facilitate increased women's representation;
• Gender-sensitive leadership training programmes for men and women, including young people who are preparing to assume or are in decision-making positions in the public and private sectors;
• And provision of resources to national gender/women's machineries so they can effectively implement, monitor and mainstream commitments on gender equality.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has already announced the report would be presented at a fringe meeting of global women leaders on the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York in September and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia in November.
