Our soccer

Dear Editor – I read with interest comments the national soccer coach Moses Toata made in your paper after their semi-final loss to Papua New Guinea. I appreciate his taking responsibility for the loss and his efforts towards the national side. Let me however say this. The time is right of the country to recruit…

Tackling climate threats

Dear Editor – Climate impacts in the Solomon Islands, a country that dependent on fishing and small-scale farming for sustenance, are set to intensify pressure on food security. But innovative, participatory approaches may help policy makers navigate possible future scenarios in order to develop the right policy responses. However, the most pressing issues facing Solomon…

Maturity is expected of parents

STORY of a female student being assaulted by a staff of the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) went viral on social media on Wednesday. Social media commentators were scathing at the SINU staff’s alleged action. The incident was said to be a result of an argument between the SINU staff’s daughter and the other girl.…

The Future of the Melanesian Economies

“Aid dependency, resource dependency, and natural disasters remain huge challenges for the region.”  Securing long-term economic viability remains a challenge for the Melanesian states, with geographic isolation, climate change, natural disasters, and aid dependency presenting significant problems for these relatively young countries. Vanuatu has a population of 270,000 and a GDP of $771 million. Designing an…

PM must restore our confidence

Dear Editor – Interestingly after much outrage and calls from the opposition, civil society and the general public in the media for SSPM Andrew Muaki to resign and further calls for the Prime Minister to leave up to his ideologies and promises, hence, should immediately sacked or terminated his SSPM, there appears to be no…

Termination of Ron Sumsum

Dear Editor – Regarding the now widely published, termination of Ron Sumsum as CEO Solomon Airlines, some reports give the impression that Sumsum was removed for shutting the airline down last week. In fact, the new CEO John McCormick was appointed on 1st June, nearly a week before the shutdown. The new CEO must have…

A new MSG Trade Agreement

Last week in Port Vila, a new Melanesian Free Trade Agreement was reached by Trade Ministers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, the members of Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). The new trade agreement, which took three years of negotiations, after signatures by MSG Leaders and ratification by parliament, will be known as…

Where’s the commitment?

ON 9th of December 2015 during the marking of the International Anti-Corruption Day the nation, applauded as they listened to our Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, declared to the nation his government’s commitment to bring about various legislative reforms to tackle corruption within the public sector, the private sector and in any environment where there is…