By DANIEL KUNERT
Former Principal
Aiyura National High School
Aloha!
The woman elected to represent the Lae Open seat is, as many of you already know, the Loujaya who was our student at Aiyura back in 1980-81: Loujaya Kousa at the time.
I know she has been very active in... various endeavors after she finished at UPNG, including, I believe, as a journalist, serving as editor of the Air Niugini in-flight magazine, writing and recording music, assisting in the production of some national celebrations, etc. She had had a book of her poetry published even before she started as a student at Aiyura.
I am wondering if this is going to start a trend......probably a very good trend....where, in situations where only one woman runs, it will be much easier for her to win the seat.....if they are still using the "first past the post" voting system (and still using the preferential version of that system). Let most of the men divide the male votes amongst them, and most of the female voters vote for the lone female candidate. (But it has been a long time since I served as an invigilator for a candidate for Parliament and I am not sure what has evolved in the past 25 years with regard to the voting system in PNG.)
I have often felt that PNG will not be able to get on top of some of their very serious problems unless and until they have a much better representation of women at all levels of government, especially in Parliament. Congratulations to Loujaya!
Dan
Daniel J Kunert
1092 W Kawailani St
Hilo, HI 96720-3281
Former Principal
Aiyura National High School
Aloha!
The woman elected to represent the Lae Open seat is, as many of you already know, the Loujaya who was our student at Aiyura back in 1980-81: Loujaya Kousa at the time.
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| Daniel Kunert and wife Nancy |
I know she has been very active in... various endeavors after she finished at UPNG, including, I believe, as a journalist, serving as editor of the Air Niugini in-flight magazine, writing and recording music, assisting in the production of some national celebrations, etc. She had had a book of her poetry published even before she started as a student at Aiyura.
I am wondering if this is going to start a trend......probably a very good trend....where, in situations where only one woman runs, it will be much easier for her to win the seat.....if they are still using the "first past the post" voting system (and still using the preferential version of that system). Let most of the men divide the male votes amongst them, and most of the female voters vote for the lone female candidate. (But it has been a long time since I served as an invigilator for a candidate for Parliament and I am not sure what has evolved in the past 25 years with regard to the voting system in PNG.)
I have often felt that PNG will not be able to get on top of some of their very serious problems unless and until they have a much better representation of women at all levels of government, especially in Parliament. Congratulations to Loujaya!
Dan
Daniel J Kunert
1092 W Kawailani St
Hilo, HI 96720-3281