PNG women step up to run 2022 elections
As Papua New Guinea prepares to go to the polls this year, women at the PNG Election Commission are taking the lead in delivering free and fair elections for all.
To mark International Women’s Day (IWD) this year, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in partnership with the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) hosted a gathering at the National Museum and Art Gallery to highlight the important role women play in delivering elections.
Elections in PNG can be difficult to run in terms of security and logistical challenges. Many therefore consider this to be an area of work best suited for men. But women have been stepping up to the challenge with professionalism and courage, even in the Highlands where managing elections have been challenging in the past. PNGEC has taken it upon itself to actively promote the work of women in decision making roles in conducting and safeguarding the elections.
One such woman who has been supported by PNGEC to move up the ranks is Daisy Hombagani. Hombagani is currently the election manager (EM) for Oro province. The province is known to have some of the most highly contested seats in the country. In 1977 when PNG conducted its first national general elections, only six candidates ran for the Sohe Open seat. That figure has risen sharply recently with 43 candidates contesting during the last election in 2017.
Hombagani flew into Port Moresby to share her experiences during the International Women’s Day commemorations where she spoke broadly about the changing roles of women in society.
“In recent years, women’s personal expectations and roles have changed,” she told the audience.
“Though many women are building careers, we are also still doing the majority of the child rearing and household chores. This is a challenge I know some of us face.
“Being a mother as well as a manager is a challenge, but most of us have done it and are progressing to be experts in these fields,” she added.
She noted that policy interventions such as the PNGEC’s Gender Workplace and Social Inclusion Policy and the PNGEC Corporate Plan 2018–2022 have provided an environment where women can flourish.
“I am proud to be working in an organization (PNG Electoral Commission) that promotes gender equality in leadership and decision making,” Hombagani stated.
“PNGEC now has 3 female branch directors out of 6; 2 female regional managers out of the 4, and 5 election managers out of the 22.
“You can say this number is small but it’s a progress from one [EM] in 2012 when I joined the Electoral Commission.”
But beyond policy interventions, Hombagani is acutely aware that in order to break the bias against women, men have to be involved.
“Many men around the world still have their own opinions about the place of women and want to impose certain behaviours on them,” she told the gathering.
“Women’s efforts for equal participation and equal playing field is not an individual person or organization’s agenda. But collectively we can all achieve more and break the bias and be more visible.”
Her colleague Thomas Teine who heads the highlands regional office of PNGEC agrees that men have a critical role to play elevating women to leadership positions.
“If male allies fail to see the critical importance of women… they will always want to defeat and undermine gender equity initiatives,” he said.
“So we men have to give lady folks the opportunity to expose themselves.”
In encouraging women to excel, Hombagani urged women to see the challenges they face as stepping stones.
“Being a female election manager has its own challenges; cultural and social challenges,” she said.
“But I see those challenges are good [as] it helps to shape use into better managers [and] professionals.”
“Without a doubt, God gives women strength to rise up under pressure and adversity.”
“Let me read from the Book of Proverbs 31:25–28, “Strength and Honour are her clothing, she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and her tongue is the Law of Kindness.”
