Dear Editor,
 
Dr. Madlene Sawyer's story told to a Democratic National Alliance (DNA) public rally concerning her not being chosen as a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate in the upcoming elections because she is a woman is plausible if one were to look at the PLP political advertisement being run on the local television networks, which shows an all-men team.
It appears that the PLP has forgotten its reputation as being known as a party whose hierarchy or leadership was often criticized and accused of dissing women/females in its party by not appointing more of them as candidates to run in elections.  I couldn't believe any political party would, in this 21st century, run such an ad.  I wonder how Members of Parliament Senator Hope Strachan, Melanie Griffin, Glenys Hanna-Martin and other female newcomers like Tanisha Tynes and Cleola Hamilton in the PLP must have felt by their exclusion in the 'all-male team' that the leader of the opposition shows off in the televised ad.  Surely, with females comprising the majority of voters, at least more female faces should have been shown in the ad.
The PLP is supposed to be a party whose ideals are those of progression and not that of regression in empowering women in the political arena; and while I am not sure I could support the prime minister's party, he must be credited for having women playing significant roles.  The prime minister seems to surround himself in his administrations with intellectual, hard-working women irrespective of their age, who contribute to the development of this country and by whose abilities he fully utilizes.
The PLP has a lot of catching up to do with Hubert Ingraham, who has nominated 10 female candidates to run in the upcoming general election.  Although women have always been in the trenches in bringing about victory for the PLP, the party never genuinely had a machinery to recruit women for leadership roles and for them to participate in politics.  The PLP seems to have made a history of political underrepresentation of women, and it simply needs to be more 'women running for office' friendly.
I wonder why an opposition party, desperately seeking to return to power as the next ruling government, would run an ad which does not include one female as part of its team for the future political running of this country.  To run this ad is either stupid or is sheer hubris on the PLP's behalf, which could have an impact on the way citizens vote, even those who are supporters of the party.
 
- E. Albury

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