23 April 2019
A challenge to find solutions to the airing of views and community concerns.
In today’s Solomon Islands there are many concerns needing proper airing concerning a whole host of generally economic and social issues and the challenge going forward will be to find solutions to how such concerns can be addressed.
I think especially of the high rate of unemployment, health problems, allegations of corruption and alleged misuse or misappropriation of Constitutional Development Funds, climate change impacts, food security and the decline in the past traditional sources of income, such as logging.
We live in a digital age with an increasing use of social media platforms and social media has been known to raise concerns for hate speech and expressions tantamount to defamation and incitement to breaches of the criminal law.
No one wants to see such abuses occur and it will be expected that the right to free expression on line be legitimate and, of course, no right is absolute and reasonable limits on the freedom of speech must apply.
My concern, however, is in respect of the airing of issues that I have highlighted and one would hope that some fair and just mechanism will soon be found to allow deeply held views, indeed, frustrations, to be raised and considered.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
