Theonila Roka Matbob

Theonila Roka Matbob
Matbob in 2019
Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 October 2020
President	Ishmael Toroama
Member of the Bougainville House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 2020
Preceded by	Michael Lapolela
Constituency	Ioro
Personal details
Born	1990
Nationality	Papua New Guinean

Theonila Roka Matbob (born 1990)^[1] is a Bougainvillian politician and Cabinet Minister. She was the second woman in Bougainville to win an open electorate seat in the Bougainville House of Representatives.^[2]

Roka Matbob is from Ioro in Central Bougainville,^[3] and grew up during the Bougainville Civil War.^[1] She was educated at Divine Word University and the University of Goroka,^[1] and subsequently established a counselling and learning centre in Iora.^[3]

At the 2020 Bougainvillean general election she contested the seat of Ioro, beating 15 men to win the seat.^[2] As minister of education, she was one of two women appointed on 2 October 2020 to the cabinet of the president, Ishmael Toroama, the other being Yolande Geraldine Paul.^[4][5]

In September 2020 she was one of a group of Boungainville villagers who filed a human rights complaint against Rio Tinto over environmental degradation caused by the Panguna mine.^[6][7]

References

1. Roka-Matbob, Theonila; Hill, Christina. "FROM CRISIS TO OPTIMISM: BUILDING BOUGAINVILLE'S FUTURE". Retrieved 1 October 2020.
2. "Victorious woman always confident of winning Bougainville Open Seat". RNZ. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
3. Romulus Masiu (5 March 2020). "Young Mother To Contest Ioro Seat". PNG Post-Courier. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
4. "In A First, Two Women Appointed As Cabinet Ministers In Bougainville". shethepeople. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
5. "Bougainville's Toroama forms a 14 member Cabinet". RNZ. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
6. "Human rights complaint urges Rio Tinto fix environmental 'disaster' at Bougainville mine site". SBS. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
7. Livia Albeck-Ripka (30 September 2020). "Abandoned Rio Tinto Mine Is Blamed for Poisoned Bougainville Rivers". New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2020.