“My simple approach to anything I do is to do the best I can – to use my office well while I am there and to understand that that office is not a place of personal privilege but a high seat of responsibility.  So every decision I take must be a decision that furthers the good of others.” - Marlene Malahoo Forte

iKNOW Politics:  I would like to start by asking you about your career in politics. When did it start and what inspired you to get involved? What opportunities and obstacles have you encountered in politics as a woman?

I am a lawyer by training.  I was on the bench for nine years, and served as a prosecutor for four and a half years. During that time, I began to develop a keen interest in public policy. I also had to interact with the government a lot and the more I did, the more curious I became about what was happening on the inside. So a couple of times I took time off from law to gather my thoughts and see how I could best serve given my keen interest in policy and the machinery of government. While I was on my last sabbatical I received an invitation from the prime minister for a position in the Senate with a state ministerial appointment in foreign affairs and foreign trade. I thought about it long and hard, prayed about it, and then I accepted the invitation and here I am, one year later.

Obstacles? Well, I started off with many.  I didn’t have any background in politics and naturally people who felt they had paid their political dues thought that a vacancy at the head table should go to them. So I was kind of an outsider coming into the political arena and people weren’t sure where my loyalties lay. But my loyalty – first and foremost – is to my country. To use the best of my skills, talent and training to make the machinery of government work better for the people. It’s a hard place for women, it’s a hard place, but we’ve come a long way. As you may know, Jamaica has had a female Prime Minister even though she was not elected at the polls. She succeeded as next in line to lead the party. We now have our first woman Minister of Justice and a woman Chief Justice. So we have made some strides in politics with regards to gender issues. But it’s still a very hard place for women.

iKNOW Politics: Why would you say that this is very hard? Do you have any personal experiences you could share with us?  Also, how did you manage to overcome that barrier?

Well I think sometimes as a young woman, people don’t take you seriously.  Or perhaps they think that the rough-and-tough of politics is not for you or that you shouldn’t have decision-making power in the party machinery. And I’m told by the women in my party – the Jamaica Labor Party – that women have been given a hard time, even though we have had distinguished women who served at the level of Deputy Leader of the party. In my case, people sometimes look at me and tell me I am not cut out for the rough-and-tough of politics.  They say I need to toughen up in order to deal with the electorate.

I’m an appointed senator, not an elected Member of Parliament, so I have not yet faced political rough-and-tumble. But judging from people’s reactions and the expectations they have of women in government, Parliament seems like a man’s world.

iKNOW Politics:  You are very young and the second woman to hold this office. How did you get appointed?  Is this part of a new government policy?

I am the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and yes, I’m the second woman to hold this office. Interestingly, the first woman was a renowned gender activist, so I’m indeed honored to come after her given the work that she has done.  I can only tell you what the prime minister said to me when he extended the invitation. He said, ‘I need help with the work that has been entrusted to me by the people and I’m looking for the best and brightest to help me do this work.’  Based on my skills, perhaps he thought it best to place me here.  I can tell you there’s been a lot of work for one year. I think part of our Prime Minister’s agenda is to get younger generations into politics.  I also believe he’s interested in the legacy he himself will leave behind. So, I’m honored by the confidence he has placed in me and I have been trying my best to do well for my country.

iKNOW Politics: Could you please tell us about three goals that you are implementing or thinking of implementing for the advancement of women, in particular women in politics? Also, what strategies do you plan to follow?

In the Ministry, one of my most important responsibilities is foreign trade, which includes the negotiation of trade agreements with foreign countries. I oversee free trade agreements and other trade and development agreements, as well as our work with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).   We are also in the process of negotiating an agreement with Canada. I have discovered that empowering women economically is critical to a society’s development.  Every time I sit down to work, that reality is at the front, back, and center of my mind.  What I would like to see are policies and trade that are sensitive to the special role that women play. I would like to capitalize on the benefits we negotiated that women can take advantage of and then create an environment where they can thrive in business – not only in small business but export business, where scale matters. So that is one thing I am looking at – the special place that women have in our trade agreements – and I try to make sure these policies will help them prosper and succeed in business.

I’m also interested in women’s access to capital and I’m watching the policies of financial institutions very closely.  Apart from my job, I also head a women’s group – the Women’s Leadership Initiative, which is an advocacy group for women’s and children’s rights. We have members from important areas of society. The group supports distinguished women at all levels. We have bankers, financiers, and other professionals of all sorts. So I have now begun to look into banks’ policies and how they allow or prevent women from accessing financing, especially women who do not have traditional forms of collateral. I think this needs to change. They need to look at new ways to measure the risk.

In regards to politics, I’m convinced that when women are included in decision-making, better decisions result.  I really would like to see more women becoming active in politics so that they can have decision-making power – women who are sensitive to gender issues, who promote development and who recognize the critical role that women will play in empowering other women.

iKNOW Politics: You have mentioned CARICOM. Since these kinds of agreements are on the rise, could you tell us a little more about it?  In particular, how do you think these agreements can be used to promote gender equity?

Jamaica is a member of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM. We have 15 member states, including Haiti.  What we are trying to do is to establish common policies across the board for foreign trade.  We are also advancing issues related to gender and women’s rights. This is a very important step for us as, both as the Caribbean region and as part of Latin America.  Countries that are well-advanced in women’s issues can help the ones lagging behind, which ultimately leads to updated laws and policy implementation, where existing laws are enforced and women’s welfare is improved on the whole. So there is a Caribbean single market and we are moving towards a single economy.  We already have a single domestic market, which means countries lagging behind will have to get their policies up to the level of those who are more advanced.  That way nobody in the single market will be at a disadvantage in the labor market or any other critical area.

iKNOW Politics: How do you see women’s involvement in and access to politics in Jamaica? There are no quota laws in Jamaica, the House of Representatives has eight women out of 60 seats, and the Senate has five women out of 21 seats. So how would you envision it? What should change?

Yes, eight out of 60 Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives are women.  The ratio is greater in the Senate where we actually have five out of 21 – four from the government party and one from the opposition. So we have five women in the Upper House – the Senate – and eight in the Lower House.  Again, I commend my Prime Minister for making the bold move of appointing more women senators from the government party, including younger women. It was very commendable. And I can tell you that this contribution is new and different and people have noted it.

I would like to see more women in representational politics in the Lower House. I would definitely like to see that. But I understand right now it is rough because campaigns are expensive and political office is ungrateful and thankless.  Unless there is something deep inside of you that compels you to give back and make the world a better place for your having been here… I’m afraid that due to how the system is designed women will continue to be excluded. Legislative change is very important. I like the idea of quotas, but even more than that, I like to have the best and most qualified people in office. What I don’t want is for women to be discriminated against on the basis of their gender or for any door to be closed to them because they are women. So opportunities must be equal, regardless of your gender. I want to see more women choosing to get more involved in elected office so that they can step up and make the contribution they are capable of making.

iKNOW Politics: Political parties are the  gatekeepers. What is the situation of political parties in Jamaica, especially in relation to promoting women’s access within the party?

To be honest with you, I’m still in the process of understanding my party. I know that the highest position a woman has held is that of party vice president. None of the current deputy leadership positions are held by women, but that’s going to change soon. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we also have a woman party leader sooner rather than later.

Some of the women in the party are beginning to work.  Only last week I was speaking to one of my fellow women Senators who told me that apart from the women’s political caucus, she’s also going to be training women to be campaign managers and train other women on how to become candidates. And I like that, so when I go back home, I want to hear more about this work that is going on.  I think the general electorate has come to realize that female leadership is more sensitive. And I wouldn’t be surprised if sooner or later they demand that women be placed at the helm of the political parties.  The opposition – the People’s National Party – is headed by a woman. Our first female Prime Minister was Portia Simpson Mill. So we’re not that far behind in Jamaica. I don’t know as much about the internal workings of the People’s National Party, it is not the party that I am affiliated with. But, we do have a woman heading one of the two major political parties in Jamaica. We have had our first female Prime Minister and I think we’ll have more to come.

iKNOW Politics: Good alliances and networking are very important in politics. iKNOW Politics is both a network and a resource for other networks. What kind of role have alliances and networks played in your career?

I’ve always been involved in civil society. I’ve always had an evening job in addition to my day job. I told you that I led a group of women, the Women’s Leadership Initiative.  They provide an unbelievable amount of support.   I think I have been blessed in many ways to work with people who understand the value of good work. I will never underestimate the power of networks. Even on a personal level, when you need someone and you know someone who is competent, you’re going to reach out to them first.  Jamaica is a small place and who you network with is critical.   Having said that, I´m also mindful that there are people who are not part of these networks. So even when you become part of a network, you have to be careful not to close yourself off from others that you need to reach out to.  There are powerful players at every level. So for me, at the end of the day, this means recognizing that there is worth everywhere. As long as you want or as long as we share a common interest in moving the country forward, I will partner with everyone, and if you have a different point of view, I will seek to understand it. I’m open to be persuaded. 

iKNOW Politics: How would you like to be remembered? What kind of legacy would you like to leave, especially with regards to the advancement of women and of women in politics?

My simple approach to anything I do is to do the best I can – to use my office well while I am there and to understand that that office is not a place of personal privilege but a high seat of responsibility.  So every decision I take must be a decision that furthers the good of others. I’m very passionate about developing countries like Jamaica as an international community. There are peculiarities that I believe are not always understood and appreciated – peculiarities that affect progress for everyone. Right now, Jamaica is regarded as a middle-income country, but we’re greatly indebted. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is greater than 25 percent. This is bad in terms of the capital budget that is available for programs.  At the end of the day, this affects the projects for those most vulnerable in society.

So what do I want in the short term, what legacy would I like to leave in this office.  I want highly indebted middle-income countries to be recognized as a new category. People say these countries are not poor enough to receive special aid because they are middle-income, but because their debt-to-GDP ratios are so high they are worse off than poorer countries.  How does that impact us? That impacts our access to financing and the concession of loans and grants, which in turn impacts the kinds of programs we do. In general, I want to ensure that when decisions are taken by the state, they are taken in the best interest of the people and not just to maintain the popularity of the incumbent party. This is not an easy task, but it’s a process I’m committed to. The machinery of government must work better for the people, it must deliver services to the most vulnerable. Our elected officials and politicians must serve with integrity.  I hope that I´ll be remembered for bringing the best of my talent, my training and my skills to the duties that have been entrusted to me.