A couple of Solomon Island’s best-known academic scholars, Dr. Transform Aqorau and Dr.Tarcisius Kabutaulaka had comments to make last week about the claimed threats to national security. Comments on tackling the manner in which the local police service might best go about its duties in securing a passive peace and preventing public order breakdowns were also referred to by Dr. Aqorau and by Ms Anouk Ride a locally based researcher.
Comments from the trio of academics came about after a statement from the national government that is intended to broaden its security arrangements with other partners to combat the perceived threats to security to the county and to be able to improve the police force’s passive competence, capability and effectiveness in dealing with public order breakdowns, such as the one that occurred in November last year which had seen rioting occur in Honiara and the virtual destruction of Chinatown.
The security threats as claimed by the government were not actually identified and one was left guessing as to the true nature.
Dr.Kabutaulaka said he believed the threats to the country stemmed from internal politics and maybe he was referring to differences between the provincial government of Malaita and the central government and with perhaps a hint of the PRC being a new partner of the Solomon Islands government as part of the mix, but he didn’t go so far in saying so.
If I am right in assuming the ongoing political differences between the Malaita Provincial Government are at the heart of the SIG’s concerns and have led to talk of the threats to national security, then it seems to me to be absolutely incumbent for talks between the parties to resolve differences, including input from the United States and Australia, maybe even New Zealand and if at all possible the PRC, but as much as the Malaita Provincial Government so far has failed to recognize the PRC as a new partner of the central government.
A perceived absence of national unity is clearly a threat to overall security and no time should be lost in all attempts to bring this about
A national football team represented the Solomon Islands last week in a game with New Zealand but lost the match. To me the loss of the match was not important as to my way of thinking there was a national team of Solomon islanders, made up of talented players from the provinces, demonstrating unity of purpose, a common bond and playing united as representatives of their country.
National security is not a game, but all playing united is seemingly lacking in the Solomon Islands today.
The United States and Australia I believe have been questioning themselves on how things have gone astray in their aid and assistance support for the Solomon Islands and now is the time for reflections leading to positive change to bring about real beneficial infrastructure, development, health care provisioning, work, and jobs for the people across the country as a whole.
The geo-sensitive location of the Solomon Islands and the path it is on demands more thought, effort and the coordinated moves to aiding national unity from all development partners and provincial authorities working in unison with the central government.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
