‘We are not a Feminist Party’

THE criticism came as fast as news that firebrand lawyer and radio talk-show host, Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas, was launching a new political party — It was a party for feminists.

Her answer was typically sharp.

“The very idea of a feminist party is ridiculous. It would belie everything we believe in. Why is it when women start something that question is raised, but the men are not asked that?”

According to her, while the United People’s Party (UPP) would be taking on the concerns of women, it would not be at the expense of other issues.

“We will take on the issues of women, especially single women raising children, but there are also issues such as young men at risk that we have to tackle,” the former talk-show host said.

She criticised past administrations for ignoring issues relating to women and stressed that the UPP would try to remedy this.

“Very few administrations have taken up the issues of women seriously. For example, we have been promised a law on sexual harassment for a very long time and up to now nothing. So we will look at these things, but there are also a whole range of societal issues that we want to look at.

“Women’s issues will be looked at as well as other issues but not in place of other issues,” she explained.

Haughton-Cardenas was one of the founding members of the lobby group, ‘Women Working for Transformation’, and is known as a strong advocate of women’s rights .

Yet, she shied away from being labelled a feminist.

“I am not sure what that term means,” she quipped. “It is different things to different people. I prefer to be seen as an activist for women.”

She stressed that Women Working for Transformation was a totally independent entity from the UPP.

According to her, if and when it was necessary to have a female focus group it would be formed from within the party.

Immediately after she introduced the new political party to the country at a soft launch last Tuesday, sceptics wondered whether she had the grit and determination to meet the demands that come with that office.

“It will take a lot of work,” she said, “but I am ready. I will suspend my court practise to get more time to go on the roads. I will still practise law but I will have to rearrange my time more flexibly.”

Haughton-Cardenas already plans to hit the streets this week to interact with the Jamaican people. By next month, she said, the UPP’s interim committee should start their fundraising activities both locally and overseas. She aims to have a permanent party committee by November.

The 47 year-old mother told All Woman that she first thought of launching a political party after the April 1999 gas riots.

“That stirred in me a deeper concern for the heartaches of the Jamaican people,” she said.

Rather than just being part of activist groups, she said, she wanted to go to the heart of the matter where she could make “real change through governance”.

“I did not join any of the three political parties because I did not want to be confined by the current system. I will go in with clean hands,” she said. According to her, she wanted to provide Jamaicans with a viable option to the present parties.

Haughton-Cardenas said that the feedback she has received on the UPP has been very positive with support coming from all sectors of society. However, one of the party’s immediate problems would be ensuring that its supporters are registered to vote, she said.

She emphasised some of the issues the UPP would focus on, such as:

* Spiritual renewal and getting the church more involved in community activism. She argued that if the church is to impact the nation then it would have to impact the quality of politics;

* human rights;

* fair working conditions for all; she highlighted the plight of security guards, who she said worked under “wicked and oppressive” conditions;

* free education up to the high school level, stricter monitoring of the education system using, for example, social workers to find kids who drop out;

* access to health care facilities for the poor.

The UPP was launched last Tuesday, August 14 and also has on its interim committee, historian Betty Ann Blaine as vice president, and educator, Horace Matthews as general-secretary.

Fact File:

Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas, founder UPP.

Age: 47 years.

Marital status: Married to Cuban professor and businessman Osvaldo Cardenas.

Place of birth: Islinghton, St Mary.

Schools attended: St Hugh’s, Wolmer’s, University of the West Indies.

Profession: Practising attorney-at-law for 22 years and former talk-show host.

Profile: Social activist, champion of the disenfranchised, frank, outspoken, fearless with a passionate desire for social justice, black power advocate.

Hobbies: Dancing, listening to music, reading, movies and poetry writing.

Favourite artistes: Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, The Abbyssinians, Burning Spear and Nina Simone.

Ultimate dreams: To transform Jamaica’s social landscape to ensure human rights, love, justice, and unity. To establish a school for children where black dignity, sports, culture, music and academics would be taught. She presently operates her own school at home for her child and children of her relatives.