The achievements for women under the APNU+AFC administration were celebrated at a rally at Parade Ground in Georgetown on Thursday evening.
Over a hundred women gathered to hear of the developments within the various sectors in Guyana that improved the lives of women under the APNU+AFC government. Under the theme, ‘David G and Me’, just four days before the March 2nd General and Regional Elections, the APNU+AFC coalition hosted a women’s rally, which was addressed by First Lady Sandra Granger, government ministers Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Simona Broomes and Dawn Hastings-Williams, along with Kamal Persaud and Tamara Khan, among others.
Women in attendance were told by the speakers that the APNU+AFC government has worked towards improving the lives of women in Guyana as the administration sought to establish gender equality within the country.
Host of the programme, Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency Broomes, listed the names of the 11 women who sit in Cabinet and told the audience that the David Granger-led coalition made women bosses.
Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence, in her address, said the women were gathered because of the vision of President Granger. Lawrence said that from the time the APNU+AFC coalition assumed office in 2015, the president demonstrated his commitment to the development of women in the country. “We can stand here tonight, heads held high, because of his respect for women,” Lawrence told the cheering crowd. The minister said that the president has given women of all backgrounds a voice and through the implementation of a number of initiatives, the lives of women were improved. With that, she boasted too of the placement of women “where they belong” in leadership and decision-making roles.
“I wish to invite you all to join with me in song as we put behind us those lean days of pain, those days of fear and frustration and recognise the strides women have made in this country,” Lawrence said as she sang, “So long bye, bye.”
The minister boasted of improved security, improved access to healthcare services and the increased wages that women have received – on par with their male counterparts – under the APNU+AFC administration. Lawrence highlighted that sex trafficking has been reduced, the secondary school dropout rate has been reduced by 75% and she also said that there has been a 75% reduction of the maternal death rate.
Lawrence further boasted that the government has restored the family unit and contended that families are much safer now. She added that the president has also extended kindness through the pardoning of women who were in jail and were released in time for Christmas. The health minister said that salaries of teachers and nurses salaries have also been improved.
Robotics
The First Lady was the featured speaker of the evening and she took to the stage to resounding cheers and screams as she proclaimed, “The David Granger government is a government that loves and respects women.” Mrs Granger highlighted her husband’s belief in the equality of women and his work to lift women and their families out of poverty. She also highlighted the improvements within the health sector, including access to mental health services.
“This government is working towards world-class education for our children. I don’t have to tell you about the 1,800 new teachers that were trained or mention again the increases in teachers’ salaries,” Mrs Granger said, while highlighting too that the curriculum is being reformed.
Further, she observed that students across all regions were exposed to robotics training. The First Lady highlighted, too, that the school dropout rate has declined and she said that some 50 schools across the country are being re-opened, rehabilitated and extended.
Mrs Granger also emphasised the coalition’s promise to deliver free education from the nursery to tertiary levels, even as she added that the government is working towards stronger local and regional council bodies to improve governance at the community level across the country.
“Our government believes that it has to educate and empower our women and children so that we can live comfortably and make the right choices for our women and children,” Mrs Granger said, emphasising that the women of Guyana are smart and will not be fooled by “bribes and empty promises.”
She told those gathered that they should vote for the APNU+AFC coalition for both general and regional elections, saying that there were regional representatives who were against the coalition government and hindered progress within the regions.
Broomes also implored those gathered at the rally to vote for the APNU+AFC coalition as she told them that Guyana should not go back to the days where mothers had to be worried every time their children left home. She referenced a song that she said became the “national anthem” during a time when a number of persons were killed in the country.
The speakers all pleaded with those gathered to support the coalition to further improve the lives of women within the country.
