In the Caribbean perhaps so…?

Following the “gross mistreatment of a professional colleague, characterized by undertones of prejudice in regard to gender, race and nationality” – Cayman Compass Editorial Board December 19 2014 – we now have another.

This time it is not the Cayman Islands. It is Guyana.

The Cayman Islands story, as most of you know, involved then Cayman Islands Minister of Health, Youth, Sports and Culture Osbourne Bodden and his Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn.

Many witnesses have confirmed and I have not read of any denials from Osbourne Bodden that he screamed and shouted at Ahearn:
“You aren’t even Caymanian, you are like a piece of f—–g driftwood”
“You know that I can make your life a living hell”
“Get out of my face”
Get out of my f—–g office”
Get out of my f—–g office now”

The Guyana story that we have published today involved the Guyana Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran who on April 22 2015 made the following disparaging remarks to a female woman’s rights activist:

“Shut your mouth and get out my face…I am not entertaining you’
“You idiot, we have less maternal deaths. I am a Candidate leading these people. We are going to win the elections and do better”
Get the hell out of my face”
“eff off”
“You are a little piece of sh–…idiot”

Ramsaran then asked a nearby police officer to intervene saying:

“I would slap her ass, you know. Just for the fun. I can have some woman strip her right here”

Both ministers were sacked from their jobs, except the Cayman minister was moved to another portfolio where he is in charge.

The Guyana minister was sacked. He doesn’t have another job.

In Cayman another member of the Legislative Assembly suggested either the minister should resign, or the Chief Officer should resign. No one else publicly commented.
I understand Bodden apologized for his words but I have not seen a copy of his apology.

In Guyana a colleague of the minister, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, within just a few hours of Ramsaran issuing a public apology condemned her cabinet colleague for the statement, calling it “sexist.”

Manickchand also said, “When you didn’t speak about Henry Green getting an injunction against a woman who was claiming he raped her, you laid the ground for this sentiment and comfort expressing this sentiment. When you failed to speak up when Raphael Trotman got an injunction against a rape victim, prohibiting that victim from telling his story, you laid the ground for this sentiment and comfort expressing this sentiment. When you heard Felix saying on a tape he will plant drugs on a maid at the airport because his friend had complained that she had stolen some money from Congress Place and you failed to then call for his resignation and further accepted him as a leader now of the opposition, you essentially built a throne for sentiments like Ramsaran’s.”

We hear all the time how Cayman is fair, honest, open and without prejudice to all its citizens. The fact there was little or no response from Cayman’s leaders in comparison to Guyana’s one can only say again –“actions speak louder than words”.

One minister in one country gets his slap by being moved to another top position whilst the other minister in a different country get his backside booted down the stairs.

We read all the time how women, especially in the Caribbean, are treated and thought of by Caribbean men. Government ministers are expected and we the public demand them to be role models.

If they are not, and we know they are not, then they should not be representing anyone. And in my book that applies to compulsive gamblers and those found drunk in charge of a car.

It might have been the ‘norm’ to insult a woman but it is intolerable now and it is a shame we in Cayman have to read about a similar case in Guyana. The big difference is that other ministerial colleagues were not silent on it and the minister in question was rightly fired.