​Babao: Politics should be a career path

​Women should look at politics as a career path and not just a side option, says Lynda Babao O’Neill, wife of the Prime Minister and patron for the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant (MPIP) PNG.

Her message was directed towards the young women of the country.

She noted and commended many of the pageant’s past contestants who graduated in political science.

However, Babao said many more women in the country were taking politics as their next step in life, instead of the first.

She said in developed countries, women take this as a career path.

Babao was speaking during the pageant’s announcement of its first contestant.

This concern was also expressed by Lawrence Stephens, general manager - corporate affairs and governance, Melanesian Trustee Services Limited.

The fund yesterday announced its support behind Renee Jasmine Siaguru, the first contestant for the MPI pageant.

This is part of the fund’s effort to empower more women.

“We’ve watched an election take place where not one woman got into parliament. This reminds us that there is much to be done in PNG, and part of that is empowerment and part of empowerment is education, and part of that is telling women you can do it,” Stephens said.

Author: 
Gloria Bauai