PR – In an unprecedented show of solidarity, including from a political opponent, a woman who has been declared a candidate has been “held up” after vile comments on social media.
Charmaine Gibbs, a businesswoman, was one of the candidates named for the Democratic People’s Movement on Sunday. She is set to contest in South St George.
Only minutes after her candidacy was announced, vitriol was spewed on a local Facebook group called “Ana Augustine,” setting the tone for other platforms.
“It was a stunning attempt at a hit job, stunning even by today’s standards. Distasteful and wrong do not even describe it,” DPM youth spokesperson, herself a woman, said.
“We do not scan the men the way we go in search of the burial place of the woman’s navel string. Charmaine is not the same person you knew at school; she is not even the person you knew two years ago. She is not her mistakes; they are a part of her journey of life, and surely, she has taken the lessons,” broadcaster and social commentator Brenda Baptiste wrote.
Gibbs, a former beauty queen, said in accepting her nomination as a DPM candidate: “Like many of you, my journey has not been a straight line. It has taken resilience, growth, and determination to become the woman standing before you today. I stand here not defined by challenges or my past but strengthened by them.”
“Miss Gibbs is one of our most competent and efficient tour operators on the island. She owns and operates “Insight Tourism”. People who know her well share that she has had an interest in serving at the political level for a while. Well, some of the recruiters clearly missed her,” Baptiste wrote on her Facebook page.
Attorney General Claudette Joseph, a likely candidate for the ruling National Democratic Congress, sent her good wishes.
“Another SJC (St Joseph Convent Girl) standing up to do good,” the government minister declared. “Best wishes to Chairman Gibbs. Stay focused and grounded.”
Nevisian Premier Mark Brantley hailed the show of moral support. “Brenda, this is profound. I want to see more of this in the Caribbean, including my own St. Kitts and Nevis. Let ideas contend, not vitriol,” he said.
“There are moments in life when we must choose to stand for one another. This is one of those times,” said businesswoman Shadel Compton Nyack.
“Kudos to you, Brenda, for speaking up and for reminding us of the importance of setting aside judgment and creating space for women to grow and flourish. That kind of support is necessary and meaningful,” she said.
“I join with you in wishing Charmaine Gibbs the very best on this new path. What I will add to what you have said is that she is a very kind person and does a lot of good that people are unaware of,” business executive Anya Chow Chung said.
“She was kind, patient, compassionate, and professional in my recent encounter with her during the Covid pandemic. Now I see she is also brave – to answer the call to service,” lawyer Sheila Harris declared.
The well-known local lawyer noted that men are treated to a different standard.
“Many of us shy away from it for these very reasons- the ungratefulness, the misplaced hatred, and the judgment,” she said.
“To know Charmaine is to love her. We were beating our chests for women a few weeks ago; now we are here! We don’t have to support people’s ideologies, but we can have mutual respect for each other,” Nyoka Lalgee wrote on the thread of the Facebook comment by Baptiste.
“There is a point to be made about the scrutiny we give to those entering public office, and I get that. Like in everything else, though, some of the things being said, especially by women, we’ve gone overboard,” Baptiste wrote.
“My professional observations of her are that she is smart, competent, committed, helpful, pleasant, determined, and hard working. You may not agree with her politics, but let’s respect her choice and her right to enter public service; a tough walk many of us will never even consider,” she added.
“I know what they do to women who dare to step forward. But I also know that a person’s future should always be greater than their past,” Gibbs said on Sunday, soon after being announced as a DPM candidate.
“The needs of this community are greater than fear,” she declared.
