Ruby Thoma, born Ruby Dediya in 1949 in Nauru,^[1] is a Nauruan politician.

After completing secondary school in Australia, she was trained as a nurse at Epworth Hospital in Melbourne. She graduated from the University of Otago Christchurch School of Medicine and became a midwife in Nauru.^[1]

Entering politics, she stood as a candidate for the 1983 general election, in the Anetan/Ewa constituency. She was supported by a group of women who helped her in her electoral campaign, arguing that voters would benefit from having an educated woman, able to defend the interests of women and children, in Parliament ; since the country's independence in 1968, all members of Parliament had been men. She encountered resistance, including from female voters who told her that politics should rightly be left to men. She was unsuccessful.^[1]

Election to Parliament

Standing as a candidate again in the 1986 general election, she was elected, becoming the first woman MP in the country's history.^[1] There were no political parties in Nauru; all members of Parliament sat as independents, constituting informal coalitions.^[2]

Historic significance of role

Throughout her career, she was the only woman MP. No other woman was elected to Parliament until Charmaine Scotty became MP for Yaren in the 2013 general election.^[6][7]

In the late 2000s, she was appointed to preside the commission tasked with overseeing constitutional reform proposals. The projected reforms were ultimately not implemented, as they were rejected by referendum in February 2010.^[8]

References