“We need women’s voices in Parliament, and the more we have, the better I think our country will run”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Several women voters voiced their appreciation for the number of female candidates running in the 2021 General Election at the Fox Hill polls yesterday.
Patty Hepburn, 52, expressed how pleased she was with the amount of female representation, stating that she was “very excited because today’s women know what they want”.
She said: “Today’s women are not partial women. Today’s women are, in my opinion, the number one for this country right now.
“I don’t want to use that slogan — ‘it’s a new day’ — however, I’m going to say ‘it’s a new day’ because of the slate of women that have entered politics, young women at that, who seem to be mature.”
Sophia Moss, 47, echoed a similar sentiment, expressing a need for more female representation in Bahamian government.
“We need women’s voices in Parliament, and the more we have, the better I think our country will run,” she said.
On whether she thinks she will see a woman prime minister in her lifetime, Moss said she believes she will.
She said: “Oh, I believe that. Definitely.
“We have a lot of women who are strong-headed — women who have not just shown up, but they know the struggle — who are running for Parliament this year.
“In the next five years, watch out.”
Juanita Anderson, 36, referenced American politics as she spoke about the increase in female candidates vying for seats in this election, stating that it’s “time for a change”.
She said: “If America can have their female vice president, then we can have female MPs in Nassau.”
When asked if she believes she will see a female prime minister in her lifetime, she said “she’s hoping”, and cited Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin as her preferred pick for the historic role.
Of the 39 elected members of Parliament in the outgoing Minnis administration, only five were women.
There was only one sitting female minister in the Cabinet — first former Minister of Social Services and Urban Development and former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle, and after her resignation, former Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe.
In 2002, Cynthia “Mother” Pratt became the first female deputy prime minister of The Bahamas.
Written by Eyewitness News Intern Gabrielle Sterling
