Toni, a daunting shadow reaching into parliament

JOURNALIST and singer Loujaya Toni in her poem Twenty Two Women  wrote that women were a “nameless, faceless number posing threatening shadows … waiting …”.
They were “unknown”, she wrote, “but significant … all wanting in on Parliament”.
On Sunday, Toni became one of the “daunting shadows reaching into the men’s haus” when she was declared member-elect for Lae open, beating a giant in PNG politics, her own clansman Bart Philemon, relieving him of a fifth term in Parliament.
She went down on her knees and sang a song of praise to God in Hebrew.
Toni said: “I have no blood on my hands. I did not bribe anybody. I come with clean hands. My heart is singing hope so loud right now!”
Hope was caught up in the heart of another female victor a day previously, Delilah Gore, who won Sohe open in Northern province for the Triumph Heritage Empowerment party.
She became the first woman to be elected in the 2012 national election.
Delilah attributed her win to women empowerment and the steadfast support of her women voters in Sohe.
On radio Australia she said: “I told the women that we women are already managers in our own homes. I told them that when we go to (our) gardens we know how to harvest food and feed our children and husbands. We look after our home. We look after a number of people (so) how we treat people and look after them – the management starts from the home.
Delilah remains with T.H.E Party while Loujaya was yesterday flown to join caretaker Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s PNC camp in Alotau.
Women who were rejected out of hand for the 22 reserved have fought a hard but commendable battle.
Mary Kamang in Madang regional, Julie Soso in Eastern Highlands regional and Janet Sape in Moresby North-west are within striking distance all of them in the first four of the finalists in their respective races.
Dame Carol Kidu, who voluntarily stepped out from the political limelight, after two terms as Moresby South MP and who served as the sole MP over those two terms was quoted on PNG Perspective: “It’s brilliant and huge congratulations are due to Delilah who lead the whole way through the count. Also we have Julie Soso and Loujaya from Lae doing very well.
“To get three women in will be a new beginning for PNG.  I note many people are saying ‘see we do not need reserved seats’ but have they considered the fact that the high profile given to the importance of having women in politics over the past five years may also have been a big boost to the issue?”
Gore, who is in her early 50s, is from Sasembata village in Northern province’s Higaturu local level government area. She worked as the treasurer for Ijivitari district and is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church.
Mrs Toni has a master’s degree in communication and is the first Indigenous People’s Party candidate to be elected to PNG’s 111-seat parliament. She was yesterday bestowed the parliamentary leadership of the party by non-parliamentary leader and founder John Tekwie.
Toni told The National in an exclusive interview earlier this year with her at her residence at the Busurum Compound. 
“I’m confident with the level of qualifications that I have and that confidence that I am delivering to the voters.
“I’m pressing people to take ownership of my policies and seeing them as theirs.”
Toni has challenged 30 male candidates including the veteran Minister of Public Service Bart Philemon.
The Butibam villager said she has ousted her grandfather Philemon to show a new type of leadership in the Lae open seat.
“I am working with all the candidates in the Lae open seat, I see all of them as my brothers and except Bart Philemon who is my grandfather,” Toni said.