Preparing Honiara for the 2023 Pacific Games
According to Clint Flood, a senior advisor to the 2023 Pacific Games National Hosting Authority, being run from the Prime Minister’s Office, the construction of the venues for the Games in Solomon Islands is on track to begin next year.
Last week, Mr. Flood said, “Solomon Islands hosting the 2023 Pacific Games is about more than just two weeks of sporting competition.”
"We want to use the Games as a catalyst to clean up the city, they want to sort out some water control quality issues so the big lesson I think is these Games are about a whole of government approach."
I was interesting in his comment about “cleaning up the city” and wondered what he had in mind.
I know it is proposed to try and create a “green space” at Mataniko and I much hope the plan will materialize.
Meanwhile, in terms of ‘cleaning-up the city,’ I would stress more needs to be done to control waste disposal and the removal of plastic garbage from the streams, urban areas and at the Honiara Botanical Gardens and particularly at the Mataniko River where garbage constantly pollutes and constantly blocks the river’s flow.
Waste disposal involves everyone, apart from the Honiara City Council, doing their utmost to properly dispose of household rubbish and especially plastic bags, plastic bottles and other plastic containers.
With the expected arrival of thousands of Pacific athletes, spectators, visitors and tourists to Honiara in 2023 it is essential the city will be at its best and a city reflecting a clean and pollutant free environment.
In another aspect it is true when it comes to ensuring free access on the roads to avoid the present day situation involving congestion and traffic hold-ups, the convening of the RTB is a good idea and, if the idea is adopted, there will be plenty of time to educate the motoring public on the rules of the road, aided by traffic enforcement measures that might include the issuing of infringement notices for minor traffic violations such as illegal parking.
As an aside, In Papua New Guinea, the city administration in the National Capital District believes it can turn around Port Moresby's negative image.
But the director of the Active City Development Programme, Fazilah Bazari, said there is much more to it than that.
She believes with collaboration it could become a city of peace, love, joy and respect.
Ms Bazari said Moresby had so much to offer in terms of its diverse cultures, its scenery and other attractions and this could be harnessed under their 'Amazing Port Moresby' brand.
"Accentuating all the positives that the city has to offer," she said.
"Often these good things are not given enough attention and we are constantly putting all the energy into the negative stories out of Port Moresby, and then that becomes what people are talking about."
As part of turning around the image of the PNG capital, the city leaders intend turning settlements into suburbs.
One regular source of ill-feeling, unrest and dispute in the city are the squatter settlements and Ms Bazari said they aimed to turn these into legitimate suburbs.
"We feel that if the settlements are upgraded and proper infrastructure and proper amenities are given to settlements we would have less problems from communities in the settlements."
She said the city was also going to take over the management of the 10 health clinics around the city, to improve services.
Perhaps, there is a lesson here for the Solomon Islands Government to take on board when it comes to tackling the concerns of squatter settlements now very evident in Honiara.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
