Women have been largely marginalized in politics over the years and to think of a woman vying for a parliamentary seat as an independent candidate rather than any of the two main political parties, is even more challenging. Emilia Lolloh Tongi overcame the odds stacked against her to be elected Member of Parliament representing Constituency 001, Kissi Tongi in Kailahun District, under an independent ticket. Politico’s Nasratu Kargbo spoke to the MP.
Politico: How many years have you been an MP?
MP Tongi: Four and half years, this is my fifth year.
Politico: Do you intend to run again in the June 24, 2023 polls?
MP Tongi: Sure, definitely.
Politico: Will you be contesting as an independent candidate again or joining a political party this time?
MP Tongi: No, I’ve never thought of being an independent candidate, never in my life, but I was so popular and loved by my people. After my party the SLPP failed to give me the ok to run under the party symbol, my people mobilized and convinced me to still contest assuring me of their votes. They promised to remain SLPP but that they will vote for me.
I never left the party, I have my cards, I am a fully paid-up member and I have never resigned from my party.
I would have gone to APC or NGC, as some convinced me to switch over, but said I am SLPP and remain SLPP and nothing else.
So, I’m going back to SLPP and I have made a declaration about that.
Politico: Tell us a bit about your journey, how has it been so far?
MP Tongi: Well Parliament has changed me, I have learned a lot and I have become a perfect politician. No matter how educated you are, when you get to parliament there are many things to learn.
I have done a lot in my journey as an MP, you know during the 4th parliament, there used to be Constituency Development Fund, but now they do not give us such again. We are the least-paid MPs in the sub-region. We do not get more than two thousand dollars. MPs in Nigeria receive 15, in other countries they receive 7, etc. but we are poor and we live with that.
Being a politician is not just about representing your people, you have to do something. When we were campaigning, we promised them that we would do different things for them to make life a bit more comfortable for them. Then all of the sudden, the fund that we relied on to ensure that we fulfilled our promises was cut off, and despite that, we had to do everything to satisfy our people.
So our lives are not comfortable because of all the money that we earn we take to our constituencies simply because of the promises we had made to our people.
In the area of debates, well I don’t want to praise myself but I think I’m eloquent enough when I debate on issues. I’m the Deputy Chairperson for the Public Account Committee working with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Segepoh Solomon Thomas.
I’ve learned a lot, my life here is very comfortable, and I am recognized.
I am happy to be a member of parliament.
Politico: Can you highlight some of the things you’ve done?
MP Tongi: I have done so many things. I have built schools, hospitals, and a commercial bank. I built a real bank structure. We have three chiefdoms with three members of parliament in the Kailahun district, but we do not have a bank where our people can save their monies.
Residents in my hometown are produce buyers, and we sometimes carry monies in a rice bag which is very dangerous. I, therefore, decided to fund the construction of a bank building which will soon be opened; and it will start operating next month.
Also, women were dying moving from one point to the other to access medical services including pregnant women going into labour because they had no hospital in their communities. When I saw this I built hospitals. For that reason, I now have over 17 kids named after me in those communities.
Also, we all know that in those villages when it’s seven o’clock in the evening everybody goes to bed, due to the darkness which causes boredom, and deprivation of living a happy life. So I decided to bring solar lights to the Square, and make chairs where they can sit after a long day’s work. They can now spend the evening at the square, have fun, speak about their day’s activities or what they intend to do the next day, tell stories and talk to their loved ones. Most of them spend time at the square up to 10 pm before going to bed. I have done that in 30 villages.
I have also built community centres in those villages; such facility was nonexistent in those areas until now.
My people requested water, I dug wells and repaired some, and presently they have access to clean and safe drinking water in some villages.
I’ve also given scholarships to five university students, one of whom is a girl because where I come from, girls hardly get to the university level.
I have built an international market between three countries, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Trading of that nature had stopped for over 30 years and my people were yearning for it, and when I was campaigning that was one of the main requests they made to me. The international market is now booming in that part of the country.
Politico: Tell us about the international market.
MP Tongi: The international market is located at Dawa and it is called Dawa International Market. It holds once a week wherein Guinean, Liberian, and Sierra Leonean traders bring in their goods. My people are very happy that I built a beautiful structure that hosts this important activity.
My aim was focused on the women because they asked me to partake in the election; despite I was not given a symbol at my party. They did a lot for me and I had to pay them back, now they are happier than they used to be.
Politico: What can you say about women and politics?
MP Tongi: When a woman promises to do something, she goes the extra mile to ensure that she fulfills her promise.
When a woman does something, she does it to the best of her ability. If I were president of the country I will ensure that 90% of parliamentarians are women, because women immensely help in the development of the nation.
Government cannot do everything, and as MPs, we represent the government and understand what the people need we’re there to complement the government’s efforts, despite the fact that we have our own duties as MPs.
In the aspect of the 30%, we’ve been to many places such as Kenya and Uganda to understand the strategies they used to get 60% female representation in their parliament. We implemented everything and today we have agreed on 30% women representation.
I hope that political parties will be kind enough to maintain and compensate the women who have fought to ensure that the 30% is actualized. So I hope and pray that all the women that have been with us in the fight come back to parliament.
I’m happy to be a member of parliament because the 30% gives me hope that I will come back to parliament and do better.
Did you at any point feel intimidated due to the lack of experience as a first-term MP, or because of your gender?
MP Tongi: Before I came to parliament, I was part of a training organized by SEND Sierra Leone; they usually train aspirants on public speaking amongst other important things.
Also when I used to work as Director for the Bank of Credit and Commerce International in Paris, for over ten years, I used to attend seminars and participated in discussions. All of these experiences made talking in public easy for me.
But for parliament, the strategy I used is to make sure that I speak on issues that I am well-grounded on and well-informed about. I do not speak on subjects that I do not have an understanding of. So when I get up to speak it is because I have done my research and studied, so it flows. I do not in any way feel intimidated.
Besides when I came, I was friendly to everybody, even the opposition knew that I was more SLPP. I made them my friend and I felt comfortable.
Politico: I know that during your term many bills have been enacted into law. However, there might be some that are dear to you, can you please highlight some?
MP Tongi: Yes, well there is a specific bill that is yet to be enacted but it is very important. I am an African and will forever remain an African till I die. I am a graduate of the bondo society, I adore their tradition, I grew up with it and I am part of them. This society had existed before the white man came.
It was practiced during their time here and even after they were gone the society remained. Today, I don’t know whether it is because of money or poverty, but the whites are still instilling bad things in our heads about our own culture and tradition, saying the society is one of the worst things to ever happen.
I’ve been to Egypt and for them; the girl child is circumcised in the hospital when they are born. Nobody speaks about it because it is done in a conducive way and attention is not drawn to the practice, whilst for us it is different.
The practice does not affect us, I am married with kids and I did not suffer any problems.
Now there is a law that is indirectly telling us to stop this practice, they say that we should wait until the girl child is 18. This is the way they use to stop society and they say if one is caught initiating a girl under 18 they will be fined or imprisoned or both. This is wrong; I cannot sit down here and watch this happening to my people, there is no way a parent who has taken care of their kids sends their girl child to an institution to be maltreated. No parent will ever do such a thing to their children.
They are painting a bad image of our tradition, that we are maltreating our children, but did we complain? Where are the statistics that show the number of deaths that occur during the course of initiation? Let them bring the statistics and I will tell them that even doctors forget surgical instruments in their patient’s abdomen, but can we say we should stop the operation? No.
We will ask them to help us with modern surgical instruments and bedding in order for us to initiate our girls like the Egyptians do. We will ask NGOs to give us nurses or doctors to help us not to have complications, despite the fact that I have never seen any girl from my hometown of three constituencies that have died as a result of initiation.
Please do not bring such a law to us to stop bondo society; I will firmly stand against it because in the future they will want to send policemen into the bondo shrine and jail the soweiis. So I am doing everything within my power for that aspect of the bill to be expunged.
These traditions are some of the criteria an individual in the rural community needs to be entrusted in certain positions in society.
The sexual Offences Act is already a law now, but no law is perfect. There is an aspect that talks about sexual penetration wherein for example a ten-year-old boy who already experiences erection has sex with a seventeen-year-old girl, it is about sexual penetration, he did not rape her, but it is sexual penetration, and the boy will be sent to jail.
You see how ugly it is, so, it is not always that we pass laws that are perfect. We have enacted all these laws, and they are to protect women, they are good but not perfect.
With the enactment of the Customary Land Rights Act 2022, women in rural communities can now own land. Before now, our local laws prohibited women from being land owners, but now women can flaunt as land owners. These and many laws have been enacted in favour of women.
Politico: It’s women’s month, as a woman who has had wealth of experience in different areas, what would you say to those who are educated and the illiterates?
MP Tongi: Women of today are lucky because we have paved the way for you the younger ones.
I advise that women and girls stop feeling inferior, don’t be intimidated by people’s words or the names they attribute to you, ignore the things they say about you and don’t cry or feel depressed when they call you names. Try to grow a thicker skin than us and get deaf ears. When they call you names, you know you are not that person, it’s just a description. When some insults you or wants to pull you down, you should transform that in a way that does not hurt you.
You want something, fight for it, go for it and go get it, no woman should be afraid anymore. There are laws that protect you, even in political parties there are laws that protect women for them not to be intimidated with insults, but if such happens and the woman has evidence, that person can be sent to jail.
We will have 30% representation in all spheres, and I want to tell my girls please from now onwards concentrate on your studies and career. If you are educated just like your male colleagues, we will live side by side with them for the development and growth of our country. Women I wish you good luck in all you do.
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