A NEW Zealander has urged locals not to allow their resources to be exploited by foreigners for their own gains.
The New Zealander, who asked not to be named, said it is sad to see indigenous Solomon Islanders being exploited of their rich natural resources and becoming slaves in their own land.
“Bribery and corruption is destroying this beautiful country that should be well developed and catch up on the global development trend of their big brothers NZ and Australia,” he said.
“There are genuine businessmen who would like to come and help people in this country move from their current dependent status and make a good living for themselves.
“But most are here ripping and exploiting the resources of the people and leaving them helpless,” the New Zealander said.
He said he is aware of many incidences where certain businessmen who smuggled minerals and resources out from this country by way of on the counter bribes to smuggle things in and out the country.
He added that he is in the country trying his best to help indigenous Solomon Islanders to stop being ripped off and exploited but to start building them from their level up to somewhere they can be self-reliant and satisfy with what they earn.
“Our motto for coming into the country is, ‘Hands that help are better than lips that pray’, and that is what we work for when coming into the country.
“But we have seen too many foreign businesses who have aided bribe and corruption in this country.
“And this is easy to happen due to the status of country’s economy which sees poor household incomes and provision of essential services for people of this nation.
“And these are issues that must be addressed somehow and we want to start somewhere to assist indigenous people of this country achieve something good and not to be ripped off and exploited,” the New Zealander stressed.
He further added that they are among others who want to see the best of people and treat them with total respect and trust.
However, he said it is frustrating when they try to help and make the best out of people but instead they turn around and do something else which try to paint a bad name on them and create issues to destroy their reputation and the good work they want to do in this country.
By DANIEL NAMOSUAIA
