Dear Editor – I wish to give my apologies to the people of Choiseul regarding my Facebook post. The post came up after I received a post on Facebook swearing to us, the people of Malaita. However, I forgive whoever did that swearing to us Malaitans and I too apologize to the Choiseul people for…
Last week there occurred wide scale violence in Honiara resulting in arson, looting, damage to properties and loss of homes and possessions, particularly amongst the Chinese residents of the city, mainly shop keepers and business owners. I have only read reports of the destruction and viewed online videos of the public disorder and resultant damage,…
Dear Editor – I want to write more therefore if you could allow me a space in your paper because I need to say something regarding the issue above. I thought that COVID-19 is one of the global pandemics that want us to adjust our systems. The strict measures that are currently enforced to prevent…
Dear Editor – I refer to Solomon Power’s response to my earlier article which Solomon Star carried on page 4 of the paper on Wednesday 17th November 2021. Solomon Power’s article was set out to kill the messenger, the usual type of attack on journalists. In response, I wish to say this. I stand by…
Dear Editor – Recently I heard Hon. Peter Kenilorea Jr being interviewed on the radio about a suggestion that the Government wants to extend the life of the current Parliament by a further 12 months. The reason being that the next General Election is due in 2023, the same year as the Pacific Games. The…
Summary of SP position As a commercially operated SOE with established governance and financial procedures, SP’s legal position on the matter has not changed to date. While SP respects Guadalcanal land and culture, SP’s position is that it had legally bought the land from the registered owner. It has since registered the land, fenced the…
By Graeme Dobell The Strategist Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI’s) first big policy impact was arguing that Australia must intervene to save Solomon Islands. The institute’s 2003 description of Solomon Islands as ‘a failing state’ was one element in the Howard government’s policy somersault. The key factor in the U-turn was a cry for…
Dear Editor – Please do not print misleading articles such as the one about a mobile phone stuck to a girl’s arm after she had a Covid vaccination. This story has been printed in multiple right wing media outlets in the US, and proven to be false many times: Stories such as this are the…
Dear Editor – Radio New Zealand relayed news on Thursday, that the New Zealand Government is further stepping up its relationship with Pacific nations. Its Pacific Reset, ushered in by Winston Peters several years ago, is now to go further and focus on resilience. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said this was the natural next step…
Dear Editor – In the Solomon Islands local media on the 29 October, 2021, it was reported that H.E. Robert Sisilo, Solomon Islands High Commissioner in Canberra was calling on Australia to permit Solomon Islands and Pacific Islands students to “pay local tuition fees [only] instead of the prohibitively expensive international fees”. As a Pacific…