Andrina Thomas
Andrina Komala Lini Thomas is a politician, researcher, and activist in Vanuatu. Since 2019, she has been the founding secretary-general of the Leleon Vanua Democratic Party, a women's party seeking to close the significant gender gap in Vanuatuan politics. She ran for Parliament in 2020, then as a candidate for president in the 2022 Vanuatuan elections, but was not elected.
Early life and education[edit]
Andrina Thomas is descended from the Na Vuhu Sule clan of Matantas Village on the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu.[1][2]
She attended the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, graduating with a bachelor's in public administration and, in 2003, an MBA.[1][3] She later attended the University of Waikato in New Zealand, where she obtained a doctorate in business leadership and governance in 2013.[2][3][4] She was the second Ni-Vanuatu woman to earn a doctoral degree.[5][6]
Career[edit]
Thomas has worked for various NGOs and government agencies in Vanuatu.[1][3] She also represented the government of Vanuatu at international climate conferences.[1]
In May 2015, she was appointed as CEO of the Vanuatuan government's investment arm, the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority, becoming the first Ni-Vanuatu woman to hold the position.[1][3][7] She was suspended for a period in 2016, but retained the title until 2017.[8][9]
Politics[edit]
Thomas has been an activist for women's inclusion and empowerment in Vanuatuan society, and against femicide in the country.[1]
In 2019, the Leleon Vanua Democratic Party was founded as Vanuatu's first woman-led political party, with Thomas as its secretary-general.[4][7][10] Its aim was to improve women's representation in Vanuatuan politics; at the time, there were no women in the Parliament of Vanuatu.[10] The party eventually opted not to contest the 2020 election due to a lack of funding, but Thomas and other candidates still ran as independents or representing other parties; in her case, she ran as a candidate for the Oceania Transformation Movement in the Espirito Santo rural constituency.[4][10][11][12] However, none of the female candidates were elected, leaving the Parliament exclusively male.[7][11]
In 2022, Thomas ran as a candidate for president of Vanuatu from the Leleon Vanua Democratic Party.[13][9] She lost to Nikenike Vurobaravu.[14] She and Lois Fatu were the only female candidates across a field of a dozen aspirants.[13][9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Andrina Thomas". Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b "Advocating for good governance ethics". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b c d "Dr.Thomas heads Investment Promotion Authority". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b c Fennell, Jordan; Srinivasan, Prianka (2020-03-18). "Vanuatu's Parliament is a boys club, but women are hoping to change that". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Andrina KL Thomas". Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "NZ Scholarship student to use PhD research to empower Ni-Vanuatu women". Spasifik Magazine. No. 57. July–August 2013.
- ^ a b c Yi, Beh Lih (2020-04-22). "End 'embarrassing' all-male parliament, Vanuatu women urge new PM". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Joshua, Jane (2016-11-04). "VIPA Board suspends CEO". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b c "Dr Thomas appeals for support for Presidency candidature". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b c Mcdonald, Joshua (2020-04-02). "Women in Vanuatu Vie for a Presence in Parliament". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b Thomas, Andrina KL; Howard, Elise (2020-05-20). "On running for elections in Vanuatu as a woman". Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Malsungai, Antoine (2020-02-22). "Land and citizenship abused over the last 39 years: Dr. Thomas". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b Tokona, Mavuku (2022-07-20). "Andrina Wants to be Next President of Vanuatu". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Bule, Hilaire (2022-07-26). "Vurobaravu elected new President". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2023-11-16.