Hundreds of women from all walks of life on Thursday evening gathered at Parade Ground, Georgetown, for the APNU+AFC Coalition women’s rally.
The message from the speakers surrounded the commitment of the coalition’s Presidential Candidate, David Granger to gender equality and respect for women.
The speakers included Public Health Minister and Chairperson of the APNU Volda Lawrence, AFC Member Tamara Khan, Minister of Public Service Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, former Deputy Mayor of Bartica Nageswari Kamal Lochanprasad, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, Minister of State Dawn Hastings-Williams and First Lady Sandra Granger.
Supporters were told it was the President who placed women in leadership positions, starting with a Cabinet made up of eleven women.
However, capturing the crowd’s attention was the First Lady –a woman who is loved by many for her elegance and speech.
The First Lady started off her speech with the lyrics of a song by The Pointer Sisters called ‘Slow hand’ which not only excited the crowd but trumped all speakers before her and had her husband smiling uncontrollably on another stage across from her podium.
Mrs. Granger spoke of stories under the previous administration which showed disrespect to women. She said her husband has the “slow hands and easy touch” needed to move the country forward.
“The David Granger Government is one which loves and respects women. It treats us with a lover’s touch…David Granger believes in equality for women…” she noted.
“This Government got a slow and easy touch and it will not go with an easy rush,” the First Lady added.
She said the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic –the coalition’s major competitor in these elections which also served 23 years in Government prior to 2015 –is making false promises.
Meanwhile, other speakers sought to empower the hundreds of women at the rally.
“APNU+AFC have started to empower women and we will continue to empower them, Minister Hastings-Williams chanted.
“We are now visible in all spheres of society, we have been nurtured by him, we have been strengthened by him for he has sought to give us the opportunity to build our capacity and to place us where we belong in leadership roles,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence spoke of a 73% decrease in maternal mortality, decrease in school dropout rate, the President’s tradition of pardoning women for charged with petty crimes to spend Christmas with their families, increasing salaries for teachers and nurses and other programmes targeted at levelling the playing field.
Minister Sarabo-Halley spoke of additional duty-free concessions for teachers and equal pay for professional men and women.
