When the Barrow administration created a ministry for women’s affairs, children and social welfare and appointed a woman to head it, most observers considered it to be a step forward in redressing the gender gap in his cabinet which until then had only two women. Now there are three.
On the other hand, it did not take long for him to pronounce the removal of a woman nominated member, thus reducing the number of women national assembly members from three elected and three nominated to three elected and two nominated. Hence one step forward and one step backward.
This is not the route to gender parity. Putting people in office out of executive prerogative should not be done on the basis of whims and caprices. One must set principle and adhere to them in order to remain on the route of good governance.
Decisions based on whims and caprices only lead to bad governance. There is no middle road. A government must choose one route or the other.
