Petita Ayarza, first Guna woman elected to Panama's National Assembly

Here is an English summary of the Spanish article linked below:

Petita Ayarza, the first indigenous Guna woman to be elected to Panama's National Assembly admitted that participating in politics was not easy as a woman, however she followed the will of the people.

She began to be involved in politics many years ago, working in the local communities where she was a delegate of the Revolutionary Democratic Party as well as the head of the collective in the comarca (indigenous territory). She said that her deceased husband also helped her to become a female leader. Another reason that she decided to run was that she saw that the male representatives of her district were not legislating in favor of the people.

According to Ayarza, it was important to make the effort to develop her own image and how to defend herself as a woman no matter what position she would find herself in, without depending on other people becuase when one depends on others, it gives the impression that you owe them something and does not send the rights message.

The representative elect acknowledged that there is much work to do to change the social reality of the the residents of the Guna Yala comarca, especially in matters related to education and health, where there are treatment centers but no supplies or medicine.

She recounted how the name "Petita," was given to her as an allusion to the former first lady Petita Saa de Robles, wife of President Marco Robles, since the birth registrar, just as they were about to register her, told her mom not to write down Lidia, as she had intended, because he saw that she "was going to be someone important."

https://www.tvn-2.com/tudecision2019/noticias/Petita-Ayarza-diputada-Asamblea-Nacional-elecciones-Panama-Guna-Yala_0_5300469908.html