MRS WORLD CAROLINE JURIE READY TO HAND OVER CROWN AND STAND BY HER VALUES
Mrs World, Caroline Jurie, recently gave notice that she was ready to hand over her crown. Jurie insists that she will stand by her values, even if she has to stand alone.
After the fiasco with the Mrs Sri Lanka pageant, Jurie released a video statement. She explained that, as a woman, a mother, and the crowned Mrs World, she held a great responsibility towards protecting the image of Sri Lankan women around the world.
She added that her intention was to stand up for the injustice caused to the competitors throughout this competition. Jurie alleged that the competitors were tainted with heavy politicization, and added "It upsets me greatly when justice doesn't prevail. This is why I stood up for injustice, from the beginning of the event, I stood up for what was wrong, but my efforts were futile until the very last moment, which led me to do what I did."
Jurie still stands by her decision. She believed it was right and that she will now follow all legal procedures that she might face as an everyday Sri Lankan citizen.
"How I see it, the purpose of Mrs World is to celebrate all women who are married and still strive to conquer their dreams. This despite the commitment and responsibilities a married woman strives to fulfil. Hence the title 'Mrs'.
"It is her crowning glory that, despite all those fulfillments and commitments, she still manages to look after herself and goes out on stage to win a crown... She does this through hard work, meritocracy, spirit and purpose. The pageant was certainly not created to discriminate divorced women but to celebrate the dreams of the married women."
"In the run-up to the Mrs Sri Lanka event, I saw a lot of commitment and hard work from the competitors. As a mentor, I worked with these beautiful women, imparting everything I have learned along the path I took towards achieving the Mrs World 2020 title."
Jurie said the fact that there had been corrupt involvement towards most contestants that took part, can't be overlooked. It was not only unfair but disrespectful towards the institution.
It is said that the Mrs World finals will be held in Sri Lanka. "When we do, we will be welcoming contenders from all over the world, where Mrs Sri Lanka too will compete to win the crown again on the world stage."
"It is my purpose to mentor and work with Mrs Sri Lanka and give my best, to see her reach her greatest potential, so that Sri Lanka has a fair chance to win the crown for this country and Mrs Sri Lanka."
"As Mrs World, my purpose is to make sure she has an equal opportunity. This is why I fought for what was right for all the other contestants on the 4th of April. For all of them to have an equal opportunity because I saw, from the beginning, of how tainted the entire pageant judging was."
When the time comes for Jurie to finally hand over her crown, the journey will not end. She is committed to her purpose and will continue. "It is not about when I handover the crown, but how I use the crown to serve a greater purpose to the world I live in and represent, as the Mrs World 2020 title holder."
Jurie continued her speech as follows. "It is unfortunate that I have burst some bubbles, created a conversation and even a debate about class and values that a queen wearing a crown should stand for. If class is defined by how one behaves in the public eye, I will let you draw the conclusions to that. But if class is also defined by how you behave when no one is watching you, and what values you stand by, I believe this is the true test of character.
"Even if I had to lose class for the values I stand for, I believe I am serving the purpose the Mrs World crown stands for. Values are deep-rooted. They cannot be measured by outer appearance or monetary value. I believe this is the distinct difference between Class and Values. I stand for values, even if it means I have to stand alone.
"We often hope for change. We want to change systems, and to let equality shine through. But we stop at taking action. When we have to stand for something, and even if it means we have to stand alone, we must find the courage to do so.
"What we fear most are the things we risk losing. If we have to lose something to give an opportunity to another woman to compete on a stage that is equal and fair to all, we must take that stand. After all, one fair chance is all she needs."