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Kim Jong's girlfriend an emerging power
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by Tina Kells | September 17, 2008 at 03:41 pm
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I make no apologies for my dislike of North America's attitude toward women in politics; ours is a culture that preaches equality, but at the same time we just can't seem to get comfortable with the idea of a woman at the helm.
North America still has yet to progress to the point of embracing a female head of state, in either Canada or the United States. In Canada we had Kim Campbell, but she wasn't a leader elect and her party lost with her in charge.
Campbell was hobbled from the moment she became party leader by the behaviour of her predecessor. She had the odious task of trying to win a Tory government after Brian Mulroney had tanked the party (and some say the country)... but I digress.
Women are power players in many countries all over the world. Some of these countries are ones that North Americans consider "less enlightened," or at the very least "less progressive." Women have been running countries for decades, even centuries if you include monarchs, so why do we continue to stumble?
The United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Argentina, India, the People's Republic of China, Iceland, Malta, the Phillipines, Sri Lanka, Israel, the Central African Republic, Portugal, Dominica, Nowary, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Nicaragua, France, Poland, Turkey, Rwanda, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Liberia, Guyana, Panama, Indonesia, Peru, Finland, Mozambique, Ukraine, Germany, and Chile, have all had female heads of state.
South Korea, Macedonia, Lithuania, Ecuador, Haiti, and Bolivia, have had women as official acting heads of state. Now, speculation is that North Korea has a woman taking control, an unofficial acting head of state, in Kim Ok, girlfriend and former secretary to leader Kim Jong II.
"She is the closest person personally to Kim Jong Il," said Marcus Noland, a North Korea expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "In some ways, she's the one guarding the bedroom or hospital door. She would be in a position to convey his preferences."
Kim, 66, reportedly suffered a stroke last month and is recuperating following emergency brain surgery — though North Korean officials deny the communist leader, who was last seen in public more than a month ago, is ill.
The notoriously secretive nation bars ordinary citizens from Web access and most cannot make international phone calls. Late founder Kim Il Sung engineered a cult of personality that encompassed himself and his son, and which tolerates no criticism or opposition.
A very experienced Hillary Clinton was pushed aside by the Democratic party for a rookie Celeb-itician, causing many life long Democrats to jump ship and throw their support behind the Republicans (at least in this election). Sarah Palin, who is no worse than another historical out-of-left-field Republican running mate named Dan Quail, continues to be raked over the coals by both Democrats AND Republicans on a daily basis. And Canada, my own country, well, we can't seem to get it right either.
Now, I know that Kim Ok is not a politician, and hasn't been elected to anything (nor does she seem to be planning to run for office ever), but what does it say about North America collectively when so many other nations have let women take the lead, and we have not? Maybe there is some sort of lesson here. Maybe one day we'll learn it.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 16:26 on September 17th, 2008
My Korean friend was saying how there is going to be a big fight over who is going to take over. There is some complication about his sons and the order they are born and from which wife etc. Sounds like a big mess there.
at 16:27 on September 17th, 2008
It will be very interesting to watch.
at 02:49 on September 18th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. Well said! It's ironic that, in the UK, our first woman PM was one who did not support equal treatment for both genders! But at least she came from an ordinary background and could act as a role model for ordinary women. Not so for many other women in politics. In Sri Lanka, for instance, the women have come from a long line of patriarchal families (often on through their husbands' influence too): not a good way forward! I want to see more ordinary women getting into politics. In Britain we have had some excellent examples in the past, of women reaching influential posts in government even though not getting to the top.