Women politicians visit New Britain

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Monday 20th August, 2012

By CLEMENT KAUPA
THE people of East New Britain were granted the privilege of meeting the two new women parliamentarians in Eastern Highlands Governor Julie Soso and Sohe MP Delilah Gore over the weekend.
Being part of a large group of T.H.E Party members and officials that visited the island province to present regional MP Leo Dion as the new deputy prime minister and for the election of a new governor (Ereman ToBaining Jr), the two women became the centre of attention.
Crowds that flocked the Kokopo provincial headquarters last Friday cheered for the two women when party leader and Treasurer Don Polye publicly introduced them as the “two powerful ladies”.
“T.H.E Party is a party for the women of PNG and we aim to endorse more women candidates in the next general election in 2017,” Polye said.  
At a function organised by former
politician Sinai Brown and his wife at their Warangoi Club Mill for T.H.E Party last Saturday night, Polye again reiterated his words.
He assured National Council of Women president Scholar Kakas and women leaders in the province, including some female candidates who lost in the elections, that his party was sympathetic towards the gender imbalance in the country and would continue its trend of getting more women elected into parliament.
“Let the women take over and we males can take the backstage for once,” Polye told the dinner crowd.
Kakas urged T.H.E Party and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s PNC Party to activate the 22 seats that had been reserved for women before the next election.
“It is already passed but we need an enabling law to make it work. It is you, T.H.E Party and PNC party, that have passed it and you must now complete the process,” Kakas said.
“Otherwise, we will meet you in the field in the next elections,” she warned.