By
ARMSTRONG SAIYAMA
Divine
Word University Journalism Student
LONE
female candidate Loujaya Toni is the new member elect for the Lae Open seat.
Toni has polled 7,364 votes ahead of the businessman
Fred Wak with 5,842 votes and sitting MP Bart Philemon trailing third with 4,680
votes.
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| The horse trading has already started and new Lae MP Elect Loujaya Toni is no exception, as this picture of her being courted by Peter O'Neill's People's National Congress this morning shows. PNC sent a plane to whisk her out of Nadab Airport this morning.-Picture by MICHAEL J EARLEY |
Toni has won over the 50 +1 majority of 6,004 votes
in this male-dominated race.
Former journalist, teacher, poet cum gospel singer
Loujaya Toni is running under the ticket of Indigenous People’s Party.
The Masters Degree in Communication Development
Studies graduate from the PNG University of Technology said she could use her
knowledge and experiences to bring holistic development in her Lae
electorate.
Toni told The
National in an exclusive interview earlier in this year with her at her residence
at the Busurum Compound.
“I understand human beings and basics of not only to
look after people within Lae electorate, I also understand how we can develop
together our human resources and how to communicate development,” she said.
“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.
“I’m banking on the fact that I see all candidates
as brothers and Philemon as grandfather, I’m very confident that I’m in every
body’s three leaf combination."
Her winning is the manifestation of her creative
drive to tap into second and third choices of this male dominated race.
Toni has been running under the banner of “Make a
difference: Vote for a woman".
“I never support the reserve seats and I’m excited
in the prospects of running this election," she said.
“Male candidates can’t handle women’s issues, men
deal with big issues and women’s issues are not on men’s agenda.
“A woman is qualified in home economics and in human
resource development.
“Naturally, women are interested in talking of human
resource development and want our children to have good education, good health
and good life.
“We, the women are practicing real home economics
and human resource development in the home governments, and we women are
expanding our areas of governance into the next level,” she said.
Toni says that her policies are to touch the people
and changed the people’s lives.
“I would empower and up skill the customary Ahi land
owners, squatter settlers, women, old people, orphans, youth, people living
with HIV/AIDS and people living with disability,” she said.
“ I have plans to organise pensions for old people,
create sheltered workShops for people living with disability, Improve alternative
healthcare and homecare for people living with HIV/AIDS, employment and
training programmes for youth, programmes for orphans, develop cottage industry for
women, downstream processing of local products and establish a council of chiefs
for the Ahi people,” Toni said.
She said her push is for PNG to meet the 2015 United
Nation’s Millennium Development Goals.
“I will provide a report card of my electorate to
the United Nations in 2015," Toni said,
“That
involves providing a report card to make myself accountable to the Lae voters
and transparent to the international community.
“I have 100 days in office plan and a five-year
development plan for Lae Open electorate."
This is her second time to contest the Lae Open seat
to win this seat.
Toni came fifth out of the 25 candidates in the 2007 national election and she came third in the 2008 Ahi local level government presidential race.
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