The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

In reading the recent articles related to the change of the BPL Board, and as a woman in the workplace, the complaints of the Chairwoman resonate like a scratched record that continually repeats itself and I can no longer remain silent.

As women in the workplace, we have all experienced the debilitation of the discrimination that women receive in leadership positions. Many of us find ways to blend in and go with the flow to get things done, but those of us that unapologetically focus on the task at hand, more often than not, meet with great resistance. A hard and fast belief in our society is that men should lead, and even those of us that think we have no opinion on this, subconsciously tend to lean in that direction. As a result, women get less support and greater criticism when they have leadership roles.

Because this is indeed the norm in our society, it was easily recognised when described by the former Chairwoman of the BPL Board, and I find this blatant display of discrimination against Ms Osbourne appalling. The Minister has indicated that in their tenure the Board achieved good results and he was unable to cite a reason to dismiss them. From the undisputed reports given, board members that had viewpoints that opposed the Chair were given support by the Minister instead of allowing the democratic process to decide such matters. This biased interference does not serve the Bahamian public.

The buck stops here. We have too often sat quietly as these disservices have been perpetrated and refuse to continue to just stand by and watch.

I therefore call on all Bahamians to let your voices be heard. Let’s stand together to ensure that transparency and good governance is not side-tracked by slighted egos and political interference. Give our boards their mandates and then judge them on their performance…not their sex.

FRAN DILLET

Nassau,

August 23, 2018.