WUNRN
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER SUPPORTS
ELECTION OF WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT FOR
GREATER EQUALITY
PNG's Deputy Prime Minister says electing women in
Parliament will help the country adopt progressive conceptions of the
under-represented gender. [ABC]
Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah says the 22 seats reserved for women will
show men that women can also do the job and will start to change their minds
about women's abilities to engage in the political system.
Mr Namah says the seats would be reserved for two or three terms so that women
can learn the diplomatic processes, but the main objective was for women to
eventually compete with men on an equal basis.
"We want to break that hurdle and see that women can participate in our
country just like everywhere else in the world," Mr Namah told Radio
He says the election of female candidates will be open to both male and female
voters.
"We want to demonstrate to the people that these women not only represent
women in the districts of the provinces, but are unanimously elected by both
males and females," he said.
"The world has moved on. So, we want to see this new culture applied to
our system of governance in PNG."