Interviews by Mariah Lall, Aliyah Briggs and Dhanash Ramroop with photos by Keno George
On a recent visit to Linden, First Lady Sandra Granger expressed her hope of one day seeing a woman appointed Police Commissioner or Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force. Stabroek News asked the man and woman in the street what they thought of a woman as Police Commissioner. Their comments follow:
Ashley Mayers – ‘One day, I hope it would be a reality that we have a female commissioner. As long as the female is qualified and proven true to her field of service it will be a refreshing change to the police force. I think a woman in authority leads with balance and thoroughness. And honestly our police force not only needs to be pulled in line when it comes to discipline and morale, but there’s an absence of empathy that is rampant among all ranks. Mothers lose their sons, daughters are raped and abused and these issues are treated as though they’re misdemeanours. A female commissioner might understand the barbarity of such acts and as a result put things in place to tackle them more efficiently.’
Nishal Singh – ‘I don’t see why a woman can’t run the police force. I think a woman can do the job as well as a man. They are all professionals. Sometimes the women would do a better job than the men because sometimes men tend to take bribes and so on. So I think a woman would be fairer in passing the judgement. So I generally I won’t have a problem with that happening.’
Michael Choo – ‘Maybe she could go in the field of assistant commissioner or something yes, but for a woman to become commissioner of police? No, now you show me which one of those women have been through real military training for the armed forces of Guyana. You show me which one of the women crawled under barbed wire and those things.’
Crystal Barclay – ‘To even question whether or not a woman should be police commissioner, it would mean that we have a mental problem with a woman being police commissioner. Recently women have been breaking away from the idea that women are feeble creatures. Having a woman as police commissioner I think would be a big step for women in terms of empowerment. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. If a man can do it why can’t a woman do it? With the way things are going with society right now, I would like to see it happening.’
Ronson Grey – ‘I think it would be good to have a female police commissioner simply because it’s something that would make history, we have never had that before. Also it would give a female’s perspective as it relates to leadership in the force. We have had a lot of men, some of them successful, some not. But I think that with the change that is happening, with a woman’s perspective I think it can be something that does good for us.’
Katina Benn – ‘Yes I think a woman can be in charge of the Guyana Police Force. Since the Guyana Police Force provides training to both men and women, a woman should be able to elevate herself to the top with the right training and commitment.’
Khadija Khan – ‘I think it would be great for the women in Guyana. It’ll give us the opportunity to show that men are no longer dominant in our society and help us restore pride in ourselves. It’ll inspire and help more women to feel as if they are contributing to the development of our society.’
Jenell Pierre – ‘I think it’s a very good idea that would help to alleviate the sexist mentality of our society. It’ll help show our men that women can do anything a man can do. That’s what we need, more women stepping up to be leaders in our society.’
Nurlene Bess – ‘I think it’s an absolutely beautiful thought. In fact, I think a woman would definitely do a better job than a man any day. I would fully support any woman who wants to reach the top.’