Page 26 - Islands Business March 2022

Politics

WOMEN MPS SHOULD BE THE NORM,

NOT A NOVELTY: BALE

By Kevin McQuillan

The absence of women in the Papua New Guinea parliament
is a matter of deep national shame, says candidate, Tania
Bale. The former television journalist and producer aims to
help bring Papua New Guinea in line with the Pacific and the
world.
PNG is one of few countries in the 18-member Pacific
Islands Forum not to have any women in parliament and is one
of only five countries in the world to have no female mem-
bers of parliament, according to the Pacific Women’s Political
Empowerment Research Group.
While most analyses of the PNG situation point to culture
and religion, Bale has told Islands Business that attitude is
changing, “particularly in urban areas.”
In February, Bale was endorsed by the People’s Party, one
of four women the party has selected in the National Capital
District. Currently, the People’s Party has four MPs in the cur-
rent parliament.
Six million people have registered to vote in the election,
between 18 June and 8 July.
Elections in PNG are notorious for fraud at both the polling
booths and in the counting rooms.
Vote-buying, handouts, inducements and pork-barrelling are
rampant and blatant. Buying off counting officials is also all
too common.
The People’s Party is small and does not have the same
deep pockets of the bigger parties.
“It is a special kind of obscenity to be splashing around mil- Photo: Patrick Hamilton
lions of Kina for a candidate in an electorate where poverty
is so high,” says Bale, “and we will not be doing politics that in my homeland was a massive dose of reality. The dreams
way.” and aspirations of my parents’ generation - the founding fa-
Funding is the greatest concern, so she will be relying on thers and mothers of the nation of Papua New Guinea - were
her network of friends and supporters, and her connection to stagnant and eroded.”
grassroots communities through the projects she has worked She found it impossible to leave.
on over the years. For the last seven years, she has focussed on development
“In the North-East electorate, the main issues of concern to work in education, health, culture, tourism, media and per-
the people are a lack of basic services especially water and forming arts.
power, unemployment, poor transport systems and infra- “My efforts have consistently reached too many roadblocks
structure, and an overall lack of opportunity to elevate their caused by fundamental inefficiencies, a culture of corruption
standard of living. and nepotism, an overall desensitisation and resignation to it
“The majority of the people live in settlements.” all and indifference from many leaders.”
Born, raised and schooled in Moresby North-East, Bale had It soon became clear that to effect real change, she needed
a successful media career in Australia at the ABC for 20 years, to seek election to the National Parliament.
where she was known under her married name, Nugent. Then Her mother contested unsuccessfully the electorate of
she came home in 2014 for an 18-month project working on Moresby North-East in 1977 and there’s a strong sense of
the Pacific Games Opening Ceremony. unfinished business.
“Working on this production allowed me to feel first-hand “I grew up walking the streets putting her campaign post-
the scale of the widespread dysfunction that permeates all ers up, driving into settlements and watching her rallies and
levels of society in my homeland. staying up all night for the vote counting. There are not many
“Navigating my way through this event and living full-time PNG women who can take this journey I am about to embark

26 Islands Business, March 2022