Scores of persons yesterday expressed their outrage at Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran’s abuse of activist Sherlina Nageer and called for his resignation even as the PPP/C’s prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper described his remarks as “unacceptable and an affront to women”.
With just weeks to go before the general elections, Harper’s statement was indicative of the damage done to the party’s campaign by Ramsaran’s abuse and placed both the PPP/C – of which he is a senior member – and the government in a quandary over what to do about him.
Holding up placards in front of the minister’s Brickdam office the women, representing various organisations, said that even though the May 11 election was just weeks away, the minister should resign or be fired as he is no longer fit to hold such an office. They also said that his apology, in which he said he was provoked, was the same as victim blaming and is the line mostly used by men who abuse their spouses; as such it was not accepted.
Nageer, who was on the picket line, said the apology was not made to her, nor did she accept it; she said the insult was not just made to her but to all women and men of Guyana.
“All right-minded people…would reject the statements of the minister,” she said adding that the apology was just a PR stunt
“It was unfortunate that I was provoked into anger and uttered harsh words at her for which I now regret,” the minister said in a brief statement on Tuesday, hours after a recording of the verbal confrontation he had with Nageer in front of the Whim Magistrate’s Court on Monday was circulated.
In the recording, the minister was heard saying that he would have slapped Nageer just for fun and that he would have gotten some of his women—suspected to be the women who had turned up in support of former president Bharrat Jagdeo at the court—to strip her. Ramsaran could also be heard calling Nageer a “piece of shit” and an “idiot” and demanding that she get out of his face. She had confronted him about the deaths of women and children in the health care system under his watch.
“I condemn his utterances in the strongest possible manner. It is yet another example of how much more needs to be done in ensuring that women are treated with respect and dignity especially by the exemplars of our society,” Harper said in a statement yesterday issued through the Government Information Agency.
“This incident is not an isolated case; it is symptomatic of the way our society can still be at times despite the huge strides we have made in advancing the rights of women,” she continued. However, she stopped short of calling for his resignation or any other sanction against him.
One day after the recording was made public, neither the government nor the PPP/C has made a statement on the issue.
Questioned about the party’s position at a press briefing yesterday, Jagdeo described the statements as “distasteful,” adding that they should not have been made. Stating that PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee is the one who speaks for the party, Jagdeo spoke for himself, insisting that he had never ever beaten a woman.
“Personally, I think it should have never happened. It was distasteful and we should never say anything about anyone, particularly women, in that way,” Jagdeo said.
“I saw they said that I beat my wife; you can ask her, let me make clear to everyone I have never touched, physically abused, a single woman in my entire life including my ex-wife…,” he said.
Jagdeo’s ex-wife, Varshnie Singh, has publicly said that she suffered “high-tech domestic violence” and had detailed how she was emotionally, financially and psychologically abused by her former husband.
The confrontation between Nageer and Ramsaran occurred while he was speaking to two reporters. She interjected when he called Christopher Ram a “wife beater” and asked if Jagdeo did not have issues with his wife as well, at which point the minister asked who she was. Nageer also questioned why he was there when he was the Minister of Health and women and children were dying under his watch.
‘Bheri must go’
“Apology not accepted”, “No to misogyny. No to disrespect. No to Bheri”, “Still cannot hear from President Ramotar. #Fire Bheri” and “Respect our voices” read some of the placards displayed by the women who braved the hot midday sun yesterday to make their voices heard; they chanted. “Bheri must go”. Many expressed shock and outrage at the minister’s statement but said it was just another example of how society sees women, while pointing out that people in high office must be held accountable. Most of the women in the group had already been holding a silent awareness exercise at different locations since the beginning of April, which is designated the month of awareness against sexual violence.
As they protested many motorists shouted out their support while some tooted their horns but there were a few who accused the women of wasting their time and suggested they had nothing to do and should go home. Many female employees of the ministry congregated at its gate and some were seen giving thumbs up to the group but did not join the protest.
“We are here to register our disgust, repugnancy… [against] the statements made by the minister of health who has since offered a blame-the-victim apology…,” said Nicole Cole who is part of the Citizens Against Rape (CAR) and also a member of the Women & Gender Equality Commission.
“He must resign forthwith. He is the minister of health, a public health approach has been taken by his ministry to deal with violence against women and there it is he is heard saying he is prepared to slap the woman just for the fun of it…” Cole said while calling for the commission’s chairman Indra Chandarpal to issue a statement on the issue.
Another member of the commission, Renata Chuck-a-Sang, who is also a businesswoman, said the minister’s statement demonstrates the way he thinks. She said to offer an apology is not good enough.
“It also demonstrates a pattern on the part of the government because this is not the first minister, this is not the first person in leadership position who has spoken [of] or addressed women in such a manner,” she pointed out.
Further, she said, when issues like this arise there is a resounding silence from women in the PPP/C who would be heard on other issues and profess to be defenders of women’s rights.
Julianne Gaul, who said she was representing herself and her female relatives and friends, said Ramsaran should resign as his statement was not made by accident.
“We would like to know what the minister would say to his wife in a moment of anger… Is that the way he speaks to her? Is that the way he speaks to his secretary when she provokes him or didn’t do her job properly? He should resign,” she stated.
Despicable was the word used by Executive Director of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) Reverend Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth to describe the minister’s abuse and that the whole nation should say it is not acceptable.
“His excuse is poor and not acceptable, his apology is an excuse and so many men use this excuse that ‘she made me do it’… What are we saying if he should get away with something like this? So clearly we are here to demand appropriate action be taken against this minister,” she said.
Activist Vanda Radzik questioned which women Ramsaran would have gotten to strip Nageer because she upbraided him for his performance as a minister.
“No matter what was said it does not warrant that level of abuse and obscenity; it was an obscene comment that Bheri Ramsaran made,” she said.
One of the few men in the group Rawlston Alkins, a University of Guyana student who is also a member of AGAPE network, said he was out there to represent all women adding that as a political leader, the minister should be held accountable
Co Chairman of the Partners for Peace and Development Roxanne Myers said the statements made by the minister were indefensible and called for him to be fired and not hold public office in Guyana again.
“Clearly his comment shows that he has a lot of contempt for women and as a public official he would have to serve us and our children and we don’t feel that this kind of character is acceptable,” she stressed.
Nageer, meanwhile, pointed to Ramsaran’s failure to address the high rate of maternal deaths, mental health and to implement the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. She noted that even though it had been effected for over two decades, abortions were still not being done at the public institutions and women continue to die as they turn to the offices of doctors who are unlicensed to perform abortions.
Women from Red Thread were also represented, along with members of the Guyana Trans United who were very vocal in calling for the minister to go.
The groups said they will continue their protest action today in front of the Office of President.
