BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
The country’s first woman and former politician, Hilda Kari called on all registered and eligible voters to vote wisely comes April 17th.
Kari made this strong call during an interview the Island Sun Newspaper.
“To registered voters please vote wisely, think of your family, see into your heart why you cast your ballot paper because it is what your life will be,” she said.
Kari utters, ensure the one you cast your ballot for is is the chosen one because that person will be your voice and your representative.
Moreover, when the paper asked Kari of her political journey she detailed that she successfully contested the 1989 by-election for the North East Guadalcanal seat caused by MP Waita Ben Tabusasi vacating his seat to become Speaker.
She was re-elected, as MP for East Central Guadalcanal, in the 1993 general election, and again in 1997, thus serving until 2000.
Kari also mentioned that under Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alu she was the first woman in Cabinet in the country’s history and she was Minister for Forestry, the Environment and Conservation from 1997 to 2000.
She further stressed that she stood unsuccessfully in the 2010 general election for the seat of North East Guadalcanal.
Kari’s reaction having no women had been elected, she described the overall result as “a real slap on the face for women in this country”, and was particularly critical of women voters who, in her view, displayed a lack of “trust” in women candidates.
