Putting news of the Solomon Islands in perspective
Over the years in which I have used my website www.solomonislandsinfocus.com to post news of regional affairs, covering happenings, events and developments in neighbouring countries, such as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Fiji and the Marshall Islands, I have quite often found the Solomon Islands to be ahead of changes and needs, albeit some proposals and policies slow to be enacted.
A game changer for speedier initiation of such matters would be a combination of political will and funding to enact changes.
The recent outbreak of Measles in Samoa and in several other regional neighbor states promoted swift measures by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the same kind of preventative precautions are in place arising from the threat of coronavirus which has emanating in China.
Effective communication was evident in both the incidents I have mentioned and adds weight to an early piece of mine in which I believe communicating news of Solomon Islands happenings in relation to regional developments could put the Solomons in a more favourable light.
Another example to relate is the fact that the Solomon Islands government has taken the first steps to creating an Independent Commission Against Corruption while such a development is still being debated in Papua New Guinea.
Very often the slowness in the follow-up and enactment of policy is viewed negatively and leads to criticism but a better communication strategy if followed by the government could, perhaps, mitigate some of the adverse reaction if effectively explained.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
