Jenny Salesa meets with women, who will stand as candidates for District and Town Officer elections ^Featured

The opportunity was given mainly to women who have confirmed they will stand in as candidates for the local government elections in June this year.

The meeting was also open to other women who wished to attend. Ms. Salesa spoke to the 30+ attendants, words of encouragement from her own experience where she too started at the local level before running for Parliament. The main points of the MP’s discussion were:

• Local Tongan women must begin work with their own community and let these actions speak to the public. Effective leadership requires visiting homes and talking with families even when it is difficult and sometimes unresponsive.
• Standing as a female candidate for such leadership positions requires a strong backbone of supporters throughout the elections. Ms. Salesa emphasized that teamwork was the key to her successful campaigns and heeded the attendants to choose their team wisely.
• Potential candidates may set out a work plan that aims to achieve a vision for the community, and the nation as a whole.
• Love, above all else – the essence of the Tongan culture is the overarching priority when setting out to run for District or Town Officer positions – and being successful.
• This effort is the continuance of the International Women’s Day candidacy workshop to further empower women especially those who are running for local government. It is a collaboration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Women’s Division with the International Women’s Day National Planning Committee (IWDNPC) and UNJPO for providing the space to hold this important meeting.

 MIA