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Dr. Carla Talks Sexism In Cabinet
posted (June 26, 2018)
For the past two newscasts we've featured our extended interview with Dr. Carla Barnett. We spoke to her on her last day as the Minister of State with responsibility for Natural Resources.

On Monday, she took over as the Minister Of State in Labour, Local Government, and Rural Development. We asked her how she feels taking over a far less powerful ministry:

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"But you are taking a significant demotion. You are moving to a ministry that is distinctly not as high profile as natural resources."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"And that's okay. First of all ministries are on par. People assume power and privilege with certain ministries, because power and privilege is the objective. That's never been my objective."

"Our rural populations needs attention. They need policy attention. They need development attention."

We also asked Dr. Barnett about the issue of sexism, whether she was gently pushed out of Cabinet because there are different expectations of women:…

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"What strikes me is that and I refer again to Junior Heredia's remarks that Hugo Patt is colleague friendly, which suggest that you are colleague unfriendly or not so friendly. But no one expects him, and in deed he may, to work an administrative miracle as was expected of you, as was expected of Miss Retreage. He is expected as I understand it unofficially to apply grease."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"I have no understanding that way. Not apply grease. There is an expectation that we should see the system move faster."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You know what one minister said. I was surprised to hear this, that a man would say it, that you were bullying them."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"Really. How? I don't know about that sir."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"I am interested in that, that somebody in a minister wanted it known that you were a bully."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"No. I don't know anything about that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Again, do you think that is sexism? Do you think when a woman is firm and unflappable she gets call names and worse names as well."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"That may be true."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"We have to be aware of sexism, because sexisms is real."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"I live it every day. For all my life I've lived it and its interpreting things differently and it is true to say that a lot more is often expected of women than of men. I would admit to all of that."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Do you think you were a victim of a sexist analysis of your performance that 'man she was supposed to clean up the thing, she hasten clean up and not helping us.'"

Dr. Carla Barnett
"I wouldn't go so far."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Were you given a shorter rope because of your sex?"

Dr. Carla Barnett
"I don't think so."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You know the cabinet room does not have a ladies room until in the last..."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"The national assembly still doesn't."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Nothing more needs to be said."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"It's true."

But, ladies' room or not, she wants to win an elected seat in that House of Representatives. She made it clear that - challenge or not - she is eager to offer herself again in Freetown:..

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Do you remain interested in running for Freetown as a candidate?"

Dr. Carla Barnett
"Absolutely. My name was the first name in Jules and we are organizing and one of the positive side effects of this move, is that I will have more time on the ground."

Jules Vasquez, reporter
"But you won't have a war chest. The ministry of natural resources is a war chest."

Dr. Carla Barnett
"Depends on how you characterized the war chest."

As we showed you last night, OJ Elrington will challenge Barnett for the UDP Standard bearer post - and he has the support of President of the Senate Li Mark Chang.

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