VOTING in any election is as crucial as casting votes wisely because voting outcomes impact the lives of voters and the wider society, says Lydia Yeo.
Lydia is a naturalized Solomon Islands citizen of Korean origin who is contesting the Honiara City Council (HCC) Panatina Ward Seat in the Joint Elections scheduled for Wednesday 17 April.
This 64-year-old widowed mother of three grown up children owns the Perch Christian Academy in East Honiara and also at Tina in Central Guadalcanal. The Perch Christian Academy in East Honiara expanded from a humble beginning as an Early Childhood School to a fully-fledged school that now offers both primary and secondary education.
Lydia, who was awarded a medal each by the Korean government and Solomon Islands Government for community service in Korea and Solomon Islands, also founded a women’s group called the Small Stone Group (SSG). This group comprises widows and less fortunate mothers in East Honiara.
“I am from Korea but a longtime Solomon Islands citizen of 30 years plus. My husband was also a naturalized Solomon Islands citizen from Korea. We have three grown up children but unfortunately, my husband died here during the COVID period.
“Apart from founding the Perch Christian Academy, I founded a widowhood group in 2019 known as the Small Stone Group (SSG) which brings together every widow every month at the Perch School in East Honiara for lunch and to pray and encourage one another.
“This group started with a small number mainly of women from Burns Creek but its membership has grown and now stands at 200 members. 90 percent of these women are market vendors.
“I want to make them happy. I also organize workshops for them to learn basic skills to earn an income to support themselves and their children. I also help pay school fees for some of their children when they cannot afford it.
Lydia says she did a lot of community work to help widows and other less fortunate women but still deems she could have done much more if she had more resources.
“I have asked for help from the government and Members of Parliament but no one helped,” she adds.
Lydia says this situation prompted her to think of a way out to help the SSG and the many other women in the Panatina Ward and many others out there who need help and then came the idea of contesting the HCC Panatina Ward Seat in this year’s Joint Elections.
“As part of my preparation for the election, I am working alongside the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party candidate for East Honiara Constituency, Leonard Solomon Sai’i. I know Sai as a person with a heart to serve others and I also believe in the OUR Party policies as they way forward for a better Solomon Islands.
“I believe if my bid to enter HCC is successful and Mr Sai’i is also successful in his Parliamentary election bid, we can work together to address the development needs of people in East Honiara, including Panatina Ward, based on the OUR Party policies.
“So basically, that is the motivation behind my candidacy. I am desirous of being able to help more women and more families to uplift their standard of living.
“I am also a firm believer in education as the key to success in this modern era. I want to ensure that more children have access to education to ensure a better future for themselves and their families.
“We believe in OUR Party’s policies to positively change the lives of Solomon Islanders and in our ability to carry out our plans for the East Honiara Constituency, including Panatina Ward, in line with those policies,” she adds.
Lydia says she also believes that strong collaborations between Honiara City Councilors and the Members of Parliament of the three constituencies of Honiara are vital to see positive changes after this year’s Joint Elections.
Lydia also believes this year’s first-ever Joint Elections are a crucial point in Solomon Islands history to make a change for the better, adding that one’s fulfilment of his/her civic responsibility to vote is equally crucial as casting one’s votes wisely because the voting outcomes will impact on Solomon Islanders nationwide for the next four years.
“So, vote for your life in this year’s elections. These Joint Elections are crucial as they can either bring about a change for the better or the worst – a change for the better if you cast your votes wisely but for the worst if you allow your votes to be influenced by bribery or other interests,” she adds.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
