Short Leg, Long Leg

I don’t know why the image came into my mind, but it did.

I listened through the two-hour debate of Women in Politics, organized by Women empOwering Women, featuring six female political leaders, it’s on line, and you could visit the session recorded in the movie theater, it is polite, and interesting, and helped me see the selected six in new light.

The debate also illustrated how valuable experience is, and how much learning is required in order to embark on a political career.

Both Evelyn Wever-Croes, MEP and Daphne Lejuez, Accion21, pack knowledge and experience, and it showed. They are familiar with the materials, and answered intelligently.

Marisol Lopez-Tromp, MAS, is also well-schooled, she has 23 years in politics, but her experience has been tainted and bumpy, and she used the WOW platform to recount her political misadventure, as a victim of circumstances, walking the gauntlet from the cradle of PPA, through MEP, AVP, to POR and MAS. I wanted to tell her to stop. Because one beautiful woman., attracting so much misfortune and turbulence is suspicious, and the thought that she must be contributing to the hoopla, crept into my head.

New comers Lisette Malmberg, PPA, and Misha Raymond, RAIZ, made an impression. Malmberg as an ideologue, promoting lofty ideas, and Raymond, as a charismatic, passionate new force, with admittedly, a lot to learn.

Gerlien Croes / AVP, #4 on the so-called refreshed party list, sounded real and willing to put her education to work on behalf of the country.

All newbes, inexperienced.

The WOW subjects of discussion covered education, the environment, public finances, the economy, equality and gender issues, and taxation, and the women on stage revealed many areas of agreement.

To me the most important comment was made by Malmberg: Our country is run by GOA’s ministers, our parliament is not in the driver’s seat, and as long as this isn’t changed, there will be a ton of political interference in every aspect of our life.

And that is the crux of the matter. Our system is rigged to disable all decision making processes, except those of the ministers, political appointee, with excessive powers, who end up being investigated under bird names: Ibis, Ostrich, Flamingo.

Parliament must reclaim its powers, in order to truly serve the people of this country.

According to my sources, in the June election, one parliament seat will be worth 2,750 votes. And the fragmentation of political parties only helps the two big ones maintain their hold.

In order to make significant change, all our small parties had better unite, merge into ONE solid alternative block.

 

#WOWDEBATE #WOMENINPOLITICS

 

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May 24, 2021
Rona Coster