Good decision are fair decision

CORRUPTION also means unfairness and in the sense of mining sector where resources are scarce and the hype for benefits are high corruption can often set in. Mining and forestry are generating big revenues for governments, at the same time generates serious negative impacts. TSI believes that decisions are much taken at the upper level…

Can we trust ourselves?

While computers can be trusted to churn out the rubbish, can we trust ourselves to do the same? LAST week the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission announced its newly-installed Biometrics Voter Registration (BVR) system detected nearly 6,000 potential voters who repeatedly registered to vote in the national general elections later this year. One voter registered nine…

Outcome based education – reform

I would like to acknowledge John Iromea and Jay A Taunau for sharing their views on Outcome Based Education (OBE) in the past Solomon Star issues. Although looking at different representations of any curriculum reform, their discussions had provided good information with sound arguments concerning OBE reform in the Solomon Islands. I hope their discussions…

WHY MALAITA LAGS BEHIND IN DEVELOPMENT

My Column in last Friday’s paper on what vocal Malaitans really want in terms of development drew quite a following. As expected, the social media network, Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) led the pack in attacking me personally and in some postings, threats were made against me. Of course no one expects anything less nor…

Truth about the chemical spill

I refer to the above article in your local news column of your paper in yesterday’s issue where the CEO of FSII, Benjamin Afuga claimed that he had unsuccessfully attempted to talk to our management over the incident. That claim is pure nonsense. Our telephone lines and e-mail contacts are open around the clock and…

Rural and urban divide: Lessen the gap

I am writing this article from the provincial capital of the Western Province, Gizo. The last time I visited Gizo was in December year 2000. There were some obvious developments in Gizo over the last 14 years. These include new shops and buildings, new hospital, and more vehicles. Just to name a few. However, the…

Fear of kina appreciation

LAST week, we discussed about fear of devaluation of Fiji dollar. This week our focus is on the fear of appreciation of Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s currency, the kina. Under a fixed exchange rate regime, the Fiji dollar can be up-valued or devalued only by central bank.  PNG has a floating exchange rate regime under…

“Let’s join the war against corruption”

Corruption can be eradicated and reduced in the country if all citizens seriously take up the responsibility to phase it out. Corruption is like a viral disease in reality and people just cannot accept that it exist, a challenging notion to fight. Inclusive responsibility is pertinent to fight against issues from the public sector to…

The Thinking Corner: How our cells work

Thank you for choosing to read this week’s column. My name is Dr Brinsley Lane and I am a doctor of chiropractic. Were you aware that the body has about seven hundred billion (700 000 000 000) cells? Each of those cells communicates with all the others through the connections of the central nervous system.…

Telekom – Your double dipping is simply wrong

ALL of us – the phone users – have one complaint or another against Our Telekom, the telecommunication carrier that largely controls the multi-million dollar a year market in Solomon Islands. Its monopoly is undisputed. Its services are substandard. Its costs are phenomenally high. In some cases one can be forgiven for suggesting that the…