By Richie Tepuke Pautangata
Honiara
The removal of our Renbel MP is highly suspicious and unacceptable. It shields the bauxite stockpile left by BMSI, the company APID hired for its controversial mining operation.
That mining enabled the corrupt registration of West Rennell land, handing it over to APID.
Our court challenge to rectify the corrupt registration of West Rennell is still pending.
NESI is simply a rebranded version of the liquidated BMSI, eyeing that same stockpile.
Landowners protested after BMSI failed to pay for 33 shipments of bauxite over three years.
This was pure government negligence—they ignored the first unpaid shipment and let 33 loads pile up before acting.
Our Renbel Bellona MP has fought fiercely for the government to settle those payments and sell the stockpile to benefit landowners.
The Manele government clearly resents this push, as it would empower West Rennell families whose lands miners devastated.
Axing the MPs for Renbel and MOI is outright wrong as it appears racist by the Manele led government. Provinces like Isabel boast multiple MPs, but these two seats are our sole Polynesian voices in Parliament.
They represent vulnerable island communities—no one else will.
This “reshuffle” is a blatant cover-up to axe our two Polynesian MPs from Renbel and MOI. It’s not reform; it’s silencing advocates for Polynesians and marginalized groups. With only one MP each, removing them leaves us voiceless.
The timing hides the Manele government’s failures: West Rennell mining scandals, unpaid bauxite debts, and corrupt land grabs.
Landowners endured years of suffering—now it’s buried under this sham reshuffle. We demand real accountability, not schemes to protect the elite!
Lord Howe’s beche-de-mer crisis adds insult to injury. Chinese poachers robbed their waters, but Dr. Aipia’s landmark court win delivered no justice.
Axing their MP worsens it all. That MP was their fighter in Cabinet and caucus, demanding enforcement, compensation, and safeguards against foreign theft.
Without this voice, Lord Howe’s plight joins Renbel’s in oblivion.
This reshuffle doesn’t fix problems—it erases island voices when we need them most. Polynesians and remote communities deserve better.
Solomon Islands Parliament must restore our MPs and deliver justice now!
