Only a unified and disciplined party can reach our goal of forming a pro-independence government

*English follows below*

Sian Gwenllian AC,  ymgeisydd ar gyfer swydd Cyfarwyddwr Cyfathrebu Plaid Cymru

Ar drothwy Cynhadledd Plaid Cymru yn Abertawe, rydym i gyd mewn hwyliau da wrth i ni edrych ymlaen at etholiad Senedd 2021 ac at ffurfio’r llywodraeth gyntaf dros annibyniaeth.

Fel plaid Ewropeaidd balch, yng nghanol llanast Brexit, rydym yn cynnig gweledigaeth bositif ar gyfer y dyfodol sy’n cael ei chofleidio gan bobol ar hyd a lled Cymru.

Fel y Gweinidog Cysgodol dros Addysg a’r Iaith Gymraeg, rwy’n edrych ymlaen at gyflwyno Cynllun Gweithredu Ysgolion a’r Blynyddoedd Cynnar Grŵp y Cynulliad ac at gadeirio sesiwn yn amlinellu ein huchelgais ar gyfer addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg i bawb.

Yn y Gynhadledd byddaf hefyd yn cymryd rhan mewn etholiadau mewnol ar gyfer y swydd o Gyfarwyddydd Cyfathrebu ar ein Pwyllgor Gwaith Cenedlaethol.

Rwyf wedi bod yn aelod o’r Pwyllgor Gwaith fel y Cyfarwyddydd Cydraddoleb dros y 12 mis diwethaf. Yn y rôl honno rwy’n falch iawn o lawnsio arolwg ar y cyd a Merched Plaid ynglŷn a phrofiadau merched ym Mhlaid Cymru.

Bydd y canfyddiadau yn sylfaen ar gyfer nifer o argymhellion y byddaf yn eu cyflwyno i’r Pwyllgor Gwaith i wneud Plaid Cymru yn lle mwy diogel a chynhwysol ar gyfer merched.

Mae’r gwaith yn deillio o ymyrraeth pwysig gan Adam Price ym mis Gorffennaf eleni pan ddywedodd ei fod wedi dychryn o weld merched yn cael eu cam-drin ar lein a wyneb-yn-wyneb gan leiafrif bychan ond uchel eu cloch. Gofynnodd i mi, fel y Cyfarwyddydd Cydraddoldeb gynnal adolygiad.

Yn ogystal a chychwyn yr adolygiad hwnnw, rwyf wedi canolbwyntio fy ymdrechion fel y Cyfarwyddydd Cydraddoldeb ar sicrhau gweithredu polisi newydd y blaid o efeillio seddau Cynulliad targed er mwyn sicrhau cydraddoldeb rhywedd ymhlith Aelodau Cynulliad Plaid Cymru yn dilyn yr etholiad nesaf.

Rwy’n falch o fod wedi symud y gwaith hwn ymlaen, er mae llawer iawn mwy angen ei wneud i gynyddu cynrychiolaeth ar bob lefel o’r blaid ac i wneud Plaid Cymru yn le diogel a chynhwysol i ferched – a hefyd i bobl BAME, LGBT+ , pobol ag anableddau a phawb sydd eisiau cyfranogi i adeiladu’r Gymru newydd y gwyddom sydd yn bosib ac o fewn cyrraedd.

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Cefnogi

Rwyf bellach yn gobeithio cael fy ethol fel y Cyfarwyddydd Cyfathrebu ar y Pwyllgor Gwaith. Mae  Rhun ap Iorwerth wedi gweithio’n ddiflino yn y rôl yma ers nifer o flynyddoedd a gobeithiaf fod yr un mor llwyddiannus gan ddefnyddio fy nhrideg mlynedd o brofiad fel newyddiadurwr, swyddog y wasg ac ymgynghorydd cysylltiadau cyhoeddus.

Mae gennym dim talentog o staff cyfathrebu ym Mhlaid Cymru ac fe fyddaf yn gweithio efo nhw i sicrhau fod gan y blaid negeseuon clir, cyson ac unedig wrth i ni ddynesu at Etholiadau Senedd 2021.

Byddaf hefyd yn parhau i weithio’n agos gyda gwahanol adrannau ein plaid -– Plaid Pride, Merched Plaid, Plaid BME, Plaid Ifanc, Undeb Plaid, Cymdeithas Cynghorwyr Plaid ac eraill i sicrhau fod llais pawb yn cael ei glywed.

Yn fy rôl fel Aelod Cynulliad, bum yn llwyddiannus yn cynorthwyo ymgyrchoedd ‘Un Plaid’ – yn rhoi gwybod i aelodau am waith y blaid o ran datganoli lles, tai cymdeithasol a thaliadau fferm.

Byddaf yn adeiladu ar y cydweithio yma sy’n rhoi gwaith pwysig i bob aelod gan gyfrannu at creu plaid unedig a chydlynus. Fel aelod gweithgar o gangen Plaid Cymru Y Felinheli, rwy’n gwybod pa mor bwysig yw hi i aelodau ar lawr gwlad fod yn rhan o ymgyrchoedd cenedlaethol.

Rhaid i’n plaid fod yn unedig ac yn ddisgybledig wrth symud ymlaen.

Rwy’n cefnogi Alun Ffred Jones fel yr ymgeisydd ar gyfer Cadeiryddiaeth y Pwyllgor Gwaith.

Fel ag ymhob plaid wleidyddol neu fudiad, mae rhai pobl yn torri’r rheolau weithiau; mae nifer hyd yn oed yn llai yn torri’r rheolau yn gyson; mae lleiafrif bychan iawn yn cael eu diarddel.

Mae Alun Ffred wedi gwneud y gwaith di-ddiolch o gynnal disgyblaeth ac undod ein plaid mewn ffordd effeithlon ac rwy’n hyderus y byddai’n parhau i fod yn deg ond yn gadarn petai’n cael ei ail-ethol yn y Gynhadledd.

Edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gydag efo ar y Pwyllgor Gwaith wrth i Blaid Cymru weithio gydag eraill i osod Cymru ar y daith tuag at annibyniaeth – gan ddechrau drwy ethol Adam Price fel Prif Weinidog nesaf Cymru yn 2021.

Mae’r gwynt yn hwyliau Plaid Cymru ac mae ein nod o ffurfio llywodraeth nesaf ein cenedl – y llywodraeth cyntaf i gefnogi annibyniaeth – o fewn cyrraedd.

Gyda’n gilydd gallwn ennill a gallwn ffurfio llywodraeth i drawsnewid ein cenedl a’n gosod ni ar ein taith i ryddid. Gofynnaf i aelodau Plaid Cymru roi eu ffydd ynddo fi ar gyfer y swydd o Gyfarwyddydd Cyfathrebu ar adeg tyngedfennol i Blaid Cymru ac i Gymru.

Sian Gwenllian, candidate for the position of Plaid Cymru Director of Communications

On the eve of the Plaid Cymru Conference in Swansea, we are all in high spirits as we look ahead to  the 2021 Senedd election and forming our nation’s first pro-independence government.

And as a proud pro-European party, amidst the chaos of Brexit, we are offering a positive vision for the future of our nation which is being embraced by people across the length and breadth of Wales.

As the Shadow Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, I look forward to presenting the Assembly Group’s 10-point Action Plan for Schools and the Early Years and to chairing a session outlining our ambition for Welsh-medium education for all.

Also at Conference I will take part in internal elections for the post of Communications Director on our National Executive Committee.

I have been a member of the National Executive as Director of Equalities for the past 12 months. In that role, at Conference I am very pleased to be launching a survey alongside Merched Plaid about women’s experiences within Plaid Cymru.  The findings will form the basis of a series of recommendations to the National Executive Committee on making Plaid a safer and more inclusive space for all women.

This followed Adam Price’s important intervention in July this year when he condemned the abuse that women in public life, and in our party, often face.  As Adam said, there is absolutely no room for it in our party or, for that matter, in our nation.  He asked me, as the Director of Equalities, to conduct a review of the experiences of women in our party and to present recommendations to the NEC.

As well as commencing that review, I have concentrated my efforts as Director of Equalities on ensuring the implementation of the party’s new policy of twinning target Assembly constituency seats to ensure gender equality amongst Plaid Cymru Assembly Members following the next election.

I am proud to have taken that work forward, although much more needs to be done to increase representation at all levels of the party and to make Plaid a safe, inclusive place for women  – and also for BAME people, LGBT+ people, disabled people, and everyone who wants to play their part in building the new Wales which we all know is possible and within reach.

Support

I now hope to take on the role of Communications Director on the NEC. Rhun ap Iorwerth has worked tirelessly in this role for a number of years and I hope to be just as successful, utilising my thirty years’ experience as a journalist, press officer and public relations consultant.

We have a talented team of communications staff in Plaid Cymru and I will work with them to ensure that the party has clear, consistent and unified messages as we approach the crucial 2021 Senedd Elections.

I will also continue to work closely with the various sections of our party – Plaid Pride, Merched Plaid, Plaid BME, Plaid Ifanc, Undeb Plaid, Plaid Councillor’s Association and others to ensure all the different voices are heard.

In my role as Assembly Member, I helped introduce the ‘One Plaid’ campaigns – informing members of the party’s work regarding the devolution of welfare, social housing and farm payments. I will build upon this collective action which gives each and every member an important role to play, helping to create a unified and cohesive party. As an active member of Y Felinheli Plaid Cymru branch, I know how important it is for members at grass-roots level to get involved in national campaigns.

Our party must be unified and disciplined going forward.

I am fully supportive of Alun Ffred Jones as candidate for Chair of the NEC.

As in every political party or organisation, some people sometimes break the rules; an even smaller number consistently break the rules; a tiny minority get expelled. Alun Ffred has fulfilled the thankless role of maintaining party discipline and unity in an effective way and I  have every confidence that he would continue to be fair but firm should he be re-elected at Conference.

I look forward to working with him on the NEC as Plaid Cymru works with others to set Wales on the path to independence – beginning with electing Adam Price as the next First Minister of Wales in 2021.

Plaid Cymru is on the up and our objective of forming the next government of our nation – its first pro-independence government – is within our grasp.

Together we can win and we can form a government that will transform our nation and set it on the path to freedom.

I ask Plaid Cymru members to place their faith in me to be our Communications Director at this most crucial time for Plaid Cymru and for Wales.