Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says women are equal partners in whatever undertaken in any levels of work and lives.
He said in his message as guest of honor when opening the 2015 Miss Solomon Pageant Show on Saturday night.
“Let’s take a brief look at the theme of this year’s pageant, ‘Women, Our Equal Partners.’ It’s a bold statement promised on a vision to see our women as equal partners with men in all spheres of our society.
“Gone are the days when we, men, think of women as inferior and that their rightful place is at home. Our women have proven themselves to be successful in their education pursuits, careers, business endeavors and are indeed equal partners with men in the development of our nation.”
PM Sogavare said this may not sound right to some who thing women are not yet given equality in parliament.
“I guess some would say that this statement is not 100 percent correct because women’s pursuit to have a fair representation in parliament is far from being accomplished yet.
“I believe the time will come when we will see more women in parliament. Rest assured that the DCC Government is reviewing the ten free parliamentary seats for women’s arrangement,” said the Prime Minister.
Other than that, PM Sogavare said women have done so much that they should be proud of their accomplishments at home, school and work.
“Now we have females in jobs that in the past were regarded as men’s only and this indeed is a positive development for women,” he said.
“The DCCG is ambitious to achieve gender equality in all spheres of our society and this ambition is one of the strong pillars of its policies.
“As such the DCCG through the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs is embarking on a serious of programmes and projects to assist women actively participate in development undertakings in their respective communities to improve their livelihood.”
By BRADFORD THEONOMI
