BY ESTHER NURIA
KRISTINAZaduku Sogavare, an Aspiring young woman in Solomon Islands, who takes up her leadership role in a society where ‘women intelligence is undermined, speaks of her courage and hopes for the future of Solomon Islands.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): Tell us more about yourself?
Kristina Zaduku Sogavare (KZS): From Marovo and Choiseul Province. Work at Parliament as the Executive Personal Secretary to the Clerk of National Parliament. A member of YWPG since 2012. A mother of two handsome boys.
SWN: How can you describe yourself being an Executive Member to Young Women’s in Parliament Group?
KZS: Since joining YWPG in 2012, I am more aware of issues affecting women and I have become more confident in speaking out for issues affecting women and to be a voice for women who are unable to speak out on issues affecting them. I have become more appreciative of what women around us are doing to make this country a better place for the future generation.
SWN: Can you describe participation of women in Solomon Islands in leadership role and decision making?
Women are more represented in many decision making roles in this country. We are represented in nearly all works of life. Now days I see many women being given the opportunity to be Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors, representing Solomon Islands here and abroad.
This is something that was not even a thought 50 years ago when a women rightful place according to our culture and custom is in the kitchen, a virtual slave to the dictates of her husband and his extended family.
We have certainly travelled a long way since those days. The question is whether we are travelling or have travelled far enough to accept that the world is changing and as part of the changing we believe that the time has come to reconsider the position of women in our societies.
Getting women into parliament in the Solomon Islands will continue to be an uphill struggle in the short to medium term, because of a number of entrenched hurdles.
SWN: How do you feel being an Assistant to Clerk to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands?
KZS: It has made me come to understand parliament and how parliament fits into our day to day living. It has given me the opportunity to interact with our policy maker and appreciate the work that they are doing of our nation.
SWN: What are some of the challenges you faced being an Assistant Clerk?
KZS: Since starting work I have worked in NGOs and have gotten an understanding on how they work. Being new to the job of the Assistant Clerk with the public service, I still face the challenge of understanding the SI government system and how it works. But it is a challenge that I find empowering, because it is teaching me to adapt and be willing to understand the government system and how it works.
SWN: Who motivates you in taking up the leadership role?
KZS: It is derived from the passion that I have on representing the unheard population. It is also influenced by my passion of seeing women being equally represented in leadership position.
SWN: Is there anything you like to change for Solomon Islands Women?
KZS: I would like to see women in Solomon Islands be willing to work together. I would like to see us put away our differences and work together for women around this nation.
SWN: Any encouragement you would like to share to our women?
KZS: I would like to salute my fellow women for braving the pressures of stereotype and to come forward and associate ourselves for the cause for advocating for the empowerment of women of all works of life. It is only by getting ourselves involved in whatever we are advocating for that we can be able to have an impact on a system that is so entrenched.
The days of passivity and complacency are over. We have ourselves to blame for allowing the system to take advantage of our disinterestedness. We carelessly allow people in leadership to believe that all is well and that they can go on exerting their authority and take advantage of people ignorance and disinterestedness. We must come out of our nutshell and be involved politically is we are to have any chance of breaking the back of this make- belief , male dominated arena.
“We must be the change we wish to see” as admonished by Mahatma Ghandi. The reason for the women of Solomon Islands to act not is that we only live once in this life time and there is nothing more self-defeating than to look back in twenty years’ time and see that we could have done better. That would be too late. As the current living generation of women we have the duty to ensure that the attitude that is fuelling the ongoing discrimination is smothered.
SWN: Is there anything else you would like to share to our readers?
KZS: Together we can make positive change for this beloved nation we all call home. Love this country and work together to make a better tomorrow for the future generation. Change must begin in us. Complacency must give way to desiring to achieve more in and organised manner; guided of course by a clear vision of where we want to go.
