Dear Editor – First of all, let us go to the Holy Bible and start from the beginning of everything – Genesis 1:26-27.
When Adam was fast asleep, God took a small rib which is a bone near the heart, from here He formed, or create Eve. This bone was not from the head, or legs or arms, but near a heart.
This proves that Man and Woman are equal, said Aristotle. Man and woman are similar, and yet even today, in some cultures, equality for women is a mortuary word. The words of Adam: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:23),signify that man and woman share the same human nature, the same rights and privileges, the same divine destiny. And yet, one wonders why women, in some cultures, became just pawns and slaves to men. Men who flatter women do not know them; men who abuse them know them still less. The fact is that, next to God, we are indebted to women, first for life itself, and then for making it worth having. The future of society is in the hands of mothers; if the world was lost through a woman, as the Bible says, she is needed to save it. That is why Jesus’ respect for women was unbounded. He could never refuse any woman any favour as we see Him in to-day’s Gospel. He yields to the appeal of a non-Jewish mother to cure her daughter saying “You may go your way, the demon has left your daughter “. (Mark 7:29). It is heartening to see in some cultures of today, that women are steadily becoming persons first, and wives second, and that is as it should be.
I am one of those who believed in Gender Balance. A saying goes: “If you train a man, you train an individual but if you train a woman, you train a nation, because a woman bears children where she becomes a first teacher.
Children make –up a Nation. A woman has a heart, a feeling and care for love to her children which is a Nation. I think if a woman is elected to Parliament,I am sure she will contribute a lot in development aspirations of the Solomon Islands. We had already seen the results a clear and fair example of our first women Parliamentarians Mrs. Hilda Kari & Mrs. Vicky Lusibaea. Both had contributed quiet immensely during their term in Office. I described these two women Parliamentarians by this saying: “It’s easy to stand with a crowd (other Women Parliamentarians) but it takes courage to stand alone.” (Amongst Men Parliamentarians).
Solomon Islands is in Despair. It needs someone who has a Heart to care. Many male Parliamentarians can inform their Communities, but only women Parliamentarians can transform their Communities.
Therefore a good leader (a) shows the way, (b) Knows the way, (c) Goes the way. Some people commented that our Women do not have the knowledge and capability of being a Member of Parliament. This is not true. Some of our women are University Graduates, some are doctors & lawyers by profession, some are Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Departments, Under Secretaries and the list goes on.
Before I go on, I wish to tell you a short story. This old Jewish story shows how important woman are to Israel. The Story says that a pious man once married a pious woman. They were childless, so they eventually agreed to devorce. The husband then married a wicked woman and she made him wicked. The pious woman married a wicked man and made him righteous.
The moral of the History is that the woman’s influence determines the spiritual life of the family and Nation. To a large degree, she was the key to a successful family or the cause of it’s failure.
Women will definitely have an incalculable influence on children, husbands and the Nation.
Women in the life of Jesus Christ: Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ is the good and Holy woman and a woman whose life was based on prayer, virtuorous and God fearing.
It is true that it was a woman, Eve, who tempted her husband ADAM to sin. But let us not forget that it was a woman, Mary who was the obedient vessel through which Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It was through Mary that the Saviour of the World was born. Let us give our women in the Solomon Islands a chance in the coming 2014 National General Election.
I therefore conclude by saying this, for those of you women who are intending candidates for this year’s National General Election, Please work together with our men and women in the rural areas as they are the key people .
My experience in the past elections was that our women in the villages had double minds and they seemed to doubt the capability of their fellow women candidates and they always listen to their husbands’ advice who to vote for.
My parting message could be your prayer motto: PRAY , HOPE, AND DO NOT GIVE UP.
NB: This is a caution for all intending candidates – Anyone who has a dirty background i.e. perhaps a failed missionary, a Bankrupt Business Fellow, 02 /03 or a corrupt leader, you are already numbered and perhaps this coming election is not good for you.
Let me assure those who had cleared their names with their communities to keep pressing forward. If you were unsuccessful, don’t worry, that is not the end of the World.
To conclude, I encourage every intending candidate for 2014 National General Election the best, especially to women candidates.
Peter S. Haeo
Kastom Gaden, Burns Creek
