An agent of change

CAREERS

Rigo lady Melanie Vari harkens to a higher service call in life

By GYNNIE KERO
MEET Melanie Vari, a 48- year old woman who belongs to the Sinaugoro tribe in Rigo district of Central.
She comes from a village called Saroa which is located in the mountainous regions of Rigo Central rural local level government area.
From Port Moresby, the great Magi Highway cuts right through her village and ends up somewhere in the Cape Rodney area of Abau district and a few steps away from Milne Bay province territory. Up north, there are old tracks that are not so far away from Northern province.
Vari is a soft spoken woman who is very knowledgeable of her district, having lived in there for the past nine years since she returned from Australia in 2011.
“To give you a rough picture of my district, we have four rural local level government areas called Rigo Central, Rigo Coastal, Rigo North and Rigo East. Both Rigo North and Rigo East were once called Rigo Inland RLLG but the Rigo administration decided to change that by splitting it into two manageable LLGs, as they put it.
“Our headquarters Kwikila township is located in Rigo Central area and like every other township established in the colonial days, the deterioration status or rundown tag is unavoidable and here to stay,” she explained.
She says living in the village and commuting to and from work is a pleasure or privilege because every single person she meets is extraordinary whether they be workers in the city, farmers, school children or friends of the district. Misty and blue ridged mountains, sun-beaten plains, sprawling banana gardens, coconut and teak tree plantations, quiet villages and fast-flowing rivers are a daily encounter for Vari.
As you find in other districts in Papua New Guinea, there are several tribes that make up the human population in 300 or so villages and hamlets, expansive or large landmass rich in arable land for agriculture and other renewable resources as per cash cropping projects such as rubber and rice.
“We do have other ‘hidden treasures’ such as non-renewable resources like mineral ores and crude petroleum products but my people are quite guarded because we don’t want to end up with problems experienced by other Papua New Guineans who tend to be over exploited,” she said.
“So from this rich rural setting I’ve just painted for you, it takes me about an hour to get to work every morning at the MRDC Haus in downtown Port Moresby. Mind you, I believe I may be the only ministerial press officer who travels around in this manner every week day while my colleagues enjoy other privileges. I also believe I am the only Rigo woman to have served in this capacity twice over, firstly as the press officer for the then Trade and Industry Minister Tukape Masani in late 2001 and 2002 and now in my current service as responsible for Mining Minister Johnson Tuke’s media and public relations matters (2017 to 2021).
“Serving in the political arena is hectic for everyone and apart from a few downsides, the pros outweigh the cons. It is an honour to serve a national leader like Minister Tuke for the great strides he is taking to serve his people of Kainantu, the People’s Progress Party as its deputy parliamentary leader and the mining industry and project landowners everywhere in that no matter what the upheavals he has encountered in his five years, he has maintained a calm composure in the public eye and done what is right by the people. I believe he is the only minister in any government to maintain a portfolio for a full term and also a leader who seeks what is best for Papua New Guineans.
“Coming from a creative arts background in music and being a journalist for 21 years, I correlate service to government and country as an art form. Just as in music, communication whether it be in the form of story write-ups, press releases or speeches, have to be fine-tuned. The notes you pluck on a guitar or the words you use in the papers must play the sweetest melody attainable for the ears and eyes of the subject for the common good. In PNG a journalist must always foresee the outcome of each story angle taken prior to developing a story because tribal and corporate sensitivities tend to create volatile situations. My colleagues may have different opinions but I call it responsible journalism in a developing country.
“I am specialised in political and business/economic reporting and the career paths I’ve walked as a parliamentary services officer, ministerial officer and working for the mainstream media directly as a journalist and indirectly as a public relations specialist have not been easy. I thank God that as a young journalist working at The National, I had one of the world’s best media specialists Brian Gomez as my mentor and teacher. For someone who graduated with a Diploma in Media Studies and a Bachelor of Journalism Degree in two semesters, three tri-mesters and Lahara, I was earning only K240 per fortnight but I swallowed my pride and worked harder and smarter. I mean what can we do when there are no laws out there to protect our interests as media workers.
“I have worked for excellent media houses like The National, Post-Courier, Media Council of Papua New Guinea, Pacific Business Review, Digicel’s PNG Loop and also enjoyed a six-month stint teaching the Mass Communication course at the journalism school of the University of Papua New Guinea.
While working for the Papua New Guinea National Parliament in the Hansard (Parliamentary Reporting) Division, I embarked on a long and problematic journey with my children. It’s not as rosy as portrayed for some of us. When I secured an ADS Scholarship in 2007 to embark on a Master of Philosophy (Education) degree, I was also blessed to be given the opportunity to serve at the Parliament of Western Australia. My time there was an eye-opener for all things political and what real service delivery is all about where MPs are concerned. I am grateful to the Australian Government for the hospitality they accorded me and my children from 2007 to 2010. If Covid-19 restrictions are ever lifted I hope to return to complete unfinished business.
“I am grateful to my family, my late mother Falesoa Vari who is PNG’s first female journalist and laid the foundation for my brothers and I. My younger brothers Varikora is an architect attached to the World Bank and DPLGA, Gi’na a manager at Kina Bank and Matthew the youngest happens to be the editor of Post-Courier. Our mother was a single parent but she was among many who served this country during its infancy. Kudos to all the beautiful women all over Papua New Guinea and the men who support them.
My children Grace 28, Emmanuella 23, Falesoa 15, Maximillian 13 and Steven 7, are the reason why I keep working and if I can input even a minute piece of something in the political arena of this great nation, I consider myself to have made a difference. Change starts with the littlest effort possible.
“I’ve had a lot of laughs while pondering over the idea of standing for elections and I will just do it. I mean the sky is the limit and nothing is impossible when your life is in God. Rigo needs a ruthless woman to lead them into the future and I believe I can do it for my people because my heart is in the right place and I don’t have any hindrances that will get in the way.
“There is no man or woman to get in the way of serving my people 100 per cent and I believe very strongly that all Rigo people, voters and non-voters must be made welcome in their leader’s office no matter what. My home in the village is your home and as one of my clown of a cousin always jokes, ‘maski it’s okay, your house is my house, your hand so I take it.’
“This is the kind of open attitude that must be promoted in order to successfully lead the many tribal nations within a district. All the people want is a fair slice of the development cake and that’s what I intend to give them from day one.”